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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28808478">Congruence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360'>Titch360</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Version of Events [70]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:27:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,847</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28808478</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Congruence--noun.  Agreement or harmony.  The act of coming together.</p>
<p>Circumstances conspire to bring together those who need a little help.  They find help in different, and not entirely unexpected, places.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Version of Events [70]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1339429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Congruence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Congruence</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were pinned down, cut off, their backs against the wall.  They could feel their enemy closing in all around them.  The air was thick with the heat of battle and the cries of the fallen.  Running out of time and falling low on morale, it was time for one last stand.  One last glorious attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.</p>
<p>Crouched behind their meager cover, Robin, Superboy, and Mercury, the last survivors of a brave, but lost, squad, plotted what could be their final moments.</p>
<p>Robin wiped the sweat from his brow, “It’s down to us.  Our enemy is ruthless and cunning.  They won’t hesitate to take us out if they get the chance.  What we need is a solid plan, and the will to carry it out.”</p>
<p>Mercury rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic speech, “What we need is more reinforcements and more time.”</p>
<p>“We don’t have them,” Robin said seriously.</p>
<p>Superboy sighed, “What we need is a miracle.”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “We don’t have any of those, either.  Nor do we need them.  Remember who we are.  We can do this.  SB, you go down the left flank.  Your target is Haxor.  He’s smart, but you can take him.  Merc, you’re on the right.  Your target is Flyboy.  He’s fast, but I know you can be faster.  I’ll take Gunslinger.  I know how he thinks.  I’ll cover you from here, and when you’re halfway, I’m coming straight up the middle.”</p>
<p>Mercury and Superboy met each other’s eyes, silently agreeing to the plan.</p>
<p>“That sounds good to me,” Mercury said.</p>
<p>“Let’s do it,” Superboy agreed.</p>
<p>Robin held out a fist.  Two more fists connected with his, sealing a bond.  “Be brave, my team.  We can win the day.”</p>
<p>Two silent, nervous nods were sent his way, and Robin said, “Go.”</p>
<p>Superboy and Mercury peeled off to complete their assignments.  Robin checked his weapon as he readied himself for combat.  It was a clunky, unfamiliar weapon, but it had proved accurate and useful today.</p>
<p>Superboy was out of sight, but a cry reached Robin’s ears, “I got him!  I got him!  I got…aww!”</p>
<p>Robin sighed, thinking, <em>one down, but I lost a man in the process.  A noble sacrifice, but too high a price to pay.  I can guarantee that Gunslinger is responsible for this.</em></p>
<p>Robin’s head swiveled in the opposite direction as Mercury’s cry of, “NO!” reached him.  Robin shook his head.  <em>Not another one!  I don’t know if I can take this on my own, not against these two targets.  You will be avenged, my friends.</em></p>
<p>Robin changed his battle plan on the fly.  He could feel his enemy approaching.  They wanted a quick, clean kill, but Robin swore to make them work for it.</p>
<p>A noise caught Robin’s ear.  Knowing his enemy, Robin looked up.  True to his name, Flyboy was climbing into position above Robin.</p>
<p>“Not this time,” Robin growled as he raised his weapon and took out his opposition’s leader.</p>
<p><em>It’s just me and Gunslinger now,</em> Robin thought.  <em>My most dangerous enemy.  This will be a day long remembered.</em></p>
<p>Trying to get the drop on his rapidly approaching enemy, Robin dove out of his cover and turned to attack.  However, as he moved, a voice sounded, seemingly from beyond the grave.  “Left.”</p>
<p>It was all over in a flash, then a bright light, and a voice from another place, saying, “Winner, team one.  Please return your vests to the charging docks in the lobby, and thank you for playing Lazer Quest at Putt Putt Paradise, Gotham City’s only destination for laser tag.”</p>
<p>Damian rolled onto his back and sighed as Jon and Jai stood over him.</p>
<p>“Well, we got closer this time,” Jon said with a smile.</p>
<p>Jai looked down warily, “Please don’t demand <em>another</em> rematch, Damian.  I’m hungry.”</p>
<p>Jon and Jai helped pull Damian to his feet.  Damian shook his head and said, “No, Jai.  Losing five matches in a row is more than enough for me.  Grayson should be getting the pizzas soon.  Come on, let’s go congratulate the winners.”</p>
<p>The youths entered the lobby and shed their vests as Jason was handed a sheet of paper from the Lazer Quest employee.  The young man sighed and announced in a bored voice, “Once again, Gunslinger is the match MVP.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.  Thank you,” Jason said as he smirked at Damian.  “I told you I can’t be beat, Short Stuff.”</p>
<p>Damian rolled his eyes, “I’ll get you yet, Todd.”</p>
<p>Dick leaned over to Tim and whispered, “Uh-oh.  He’s back to using last names.”</p>
<p>Tim shook his head, “He always calls Jason that.  Anyway, it’s his fault.  He’s the one who boasted that his battle plans were foolproof and unbeatable.”</p>
<p>Jon walked over to Tim and Dick and said, “You guys are really good at this.”</p>
<p>Dick winked, “Thanks, Jon.  You guys weren’t too bad yourselves.  Who’s ready for pizza?”</p>
<p>The plainclothes heroes walked into the pizza parlor, where Dick and Jason went to pick up their order while the rest found a large table and sat down.</p>
<p>Tim looked at the younger boys and asked, “You guys doing alright?”</p>
<p>Jon nodded and chirped, “Yeah.  This is fun.”</p>
<p>“I never thought you guys would do something like this,” Jai said.</p>
<p>“You three work together a little too well,” Damian pointed out, a hint of suspicion in his voice.</p>
<p>Tim hoped this wasn’t the start of some sort of teenaged tantrum.  “You three really have the team dynamic down, too.  It took a lot longer than the two years you three have been working together for my team to get to your level.”</p>
<p>Damian smirked, “Well, that’s what happens when you have competent leadership.”</p>
<p>Tim knew Damian’s response would be something like that, but the delivery was a little softer than it could have been, which Tim had learned meant Damian was joking.  Jai and Jon smirked at each other behind Damian’s back as Dick and Jason set pizzas and pitchers of soda on the table.  The two youngest diners dove at the food.  Knowing his team, Damian leaned back, knowing that getting between a speedster, a half-Kryptonian, and food, was a good way to lose a hand.</p>
<p>Jason, still riding high from his resounding victory, asked, “Can we eat before you demand another beatdown, Squirt?”</p>
<p>Damian picked up his own slice of pizza, now that it was relatively safe to do so, “I have no desire to lose a sixth match, Jason, but I think I know another way to see which one of us is the best.”</p>
<p>Jason took a bite and said, “I took out your whole team single-handed three games in a row.  I think we’ve proved who is best.”</p>
<p>Jai stared at the older trio and said, “It was pretty awesome.  It’s like you guys just knew where we’d be.”</p>
<p>The three elder Robins smirked, then reached up and pulled earwigs out of their ears.  Damian’s jaw dropped and he hissed out, “You three wore comms to play laser tag?”</p>
<p>Dick winked, “You three work so well together.  We needed any advantage we could get.”</p>
<p>Chewing on a second slice, Damian grumbled, “That shouldn’t surprise me, coming from you.”</p>
<p>Dick’s and Tim’s eyes met, and they gave matching small sighs.</p>
<p>The pizzas were devoured in short order.  The pitchers were drained just as quickly, and the younger boys were eager to get back to the fun.  Dick took them to get tokens for the arcade as Damian dragged Jason to a specific game machine.</p>
<p>Jason read the title out loud, “House of the Dead?”</p>
<p>Damian picked up one of the light guns and tossed it to Jason, “High score challenge…unless you’re scared.”</p>
<p>Jason bristled at the challenge, “I’m only scared of how much you’re going to cry when I humiliate you.”</p>
<p>Damian picked up the second controller, “Ready whenever you are.”</p>
<p>The even numbered Robins, both expert marksmen, stood unmoving, laser-focused on the action on-screen.  Their eyes darted around the playing field, weapons moving precisely, as the digital enemies fell under their masterful aim.  The brothers started out competing against each other, but by the second level, they were calling out threats and covering each other from sneak attacks.  The heroes grew a crowd the farther they progressed, and the viral video that would circulate around town the following day gained the title of ‘Bruce Wayne’s kids are Super Savage’.</p>
<p>Neither Jason nor Damian could believe their eyes at the identical scores displayed at the top of the screen when the end game credits rolled.  There was still no victor in their feud.</p>
<p>“How many tokens did you use,” Jason asked.</p>
<p>“One,” Damian said, “How many lives did you use?”</p>
<p>Jason replied, “One.”</p>
<p>Dick walked up and placed a hand on a shoulder of each brother, “Still no clear winner, huh?  Can’t you both just be happy that you saved us all from the digital zombie invasion?”</p>
<p>Damian glanced up at Jason and said, “I guess the debate continues.  Good game.”</p>
<p>Jason smirked and slapped Damian’s back, “At least I know who I’d pick to watch my back if the need arises.”</p>
<p>Damian grew a smirk of his own, “We should go back to laser tag.  The two of us against all of them.  We would reign supreme.”</p>
<p>A general grumble of ‘NO!’ sounded from the brothers and friends as Tim pulled everyone towards the back of the building.  “No more of this.  It’s mini-golf time.”</p>
<p>As they were walking, Damian caught a strange look on both Jon and Jai’s faces and called them on it.  “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Jon gave a small sigh, “We were just noticing something.”</p>
<p>Damian sounded concerned, “Are you not having fun?  We can do something else, if you want.”</p>
<p>“That’s just it,” Jai said, “we <em>are</em> having fun, but…should we?”</p>
<p>“I don’t get it,” Damian said.</p>
<p>Jon stopped and looked Damian in the eye, “Why didn’t you invite Gar?”</p>
<p>Damian was surprised by the question.  Jon leaned in and whispered, “Is it because he’s green?”</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “I did invite him.”</p>
<p>“I can’t see him passing on something like this,” Jai said, “Where is he?”</p>
<p>Damian stopped his eyeroll, understanding why this question was being asked, “He’s at home, his home, in bed with the flu.  He really wanted to come, and I wanted him here, but he just couldn’t do it.  He’s too sick.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t we postpone this until he’s feeling better,” Jon asked.</p>
<p>“Because you two are starting school next week,” Damian said, “This was the only time either of you could come out.  Garfield gave his blessing to do this without him, with the promise that he will make the next one.”</p>
<p>“I told you there had to be a good explanation,” Jai said, nudging Jon.</p>
<p>Jon’s look cleared, and he said, “Oh, good.  Wait, the next one?  Are we going to make this, like, a normal thing?”</p>
<p>Jai leaned in close, “Can we come in uniform next time?  That way we can use our powers.”</p>
<p>Damian smirked and snorted a laugh, “I don’t think Father will go for that, but I would love to see a Justice League laser tag match.”</p>
<p>The boys laughed, and Dick and Tim shared a smile, “It’s nice to see him playing with friends,” Dick said, “I just wish…”</p>
<p>Tim met Dick’s eyes, “You just wish he wasn’t still mad at you?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Dick said softly.</p>
<p>“What did you expect,” Jason said, placing a hand on Dick’s shoulder, “You two didn’t talk for six months.  You know, it got to the point where we couldn’t even mention your name around him.”</p>
<p>“That’s as much his fault as mine,” Dick said, “He could have called me at any time.”</p>
<p>Tim looked up, “You know that wasn’t going to happen.  You knew he was hurt when you left us at the airport.”</p>
<p>“He didn’t talk for days after we got home,” Jason said, “It was nice, but it wasn’t right.”</p>
<p>Dick sighed, “He’s not going to get over this anytime soon, is he?”</p>
<p>Tim shrugged, “He agreed to come out tonight, didn’t he?”</p>
<p>“Only if he could bring his team,” Dick replied.</p>
<p>Jason smirked, “Do you think he wanted back-up to fight you?”</p>
<p>“I think he wanted back-up to keep from fighting you,” Tim said.  “Didn’t you two have it out a couple nights after you got home?”</p>
<p>Dick shrugged, “I’m not sure it solved anything.  He will talk to me, but it’s not like it used to be.”</p>
<p>The group approached the first hole and Dick asked, “What order should we go in?”</p>
<p>Damian spoke up authoritatively, “Reverse age order.  Jon, you’re up.”</p>
<p>Jon smiled and tee’d up his ball as Jason approached Damian and asked, “Why that order?”</p>
<p>Damian murmured, “If we go in that order, then our guests go first.”</p>
<p><em>It also means that Dick goes last, another subtle dig at the brother he used to idolize.</em>  Jason put the thought aside and smirked, “You know Alfred isn’t here tonight, right?”</p>
<p>Damian looked over and met the smirk, “It’s Alfred.  It doesn’t matter where we are, he can hear us.”</p>
<p>The group took their shots and walked down to putt out.  Damian stopped and looked like he was setting up his shot when Dick said, “That’s not your ball, Damian.”</p>
<p>“I know,” the teen said lightly.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but…” Dick started, but Damian swung his club, popping Dick’s blue-striped ball up and off the course.  It bounced once on the sidewalk before splashing into a manmade pond.  Damian walked away with a pleased look on his face as Dick stared at the teen, dumbfounded.</p>
<p>Jason walked up to stand next to Dick, “I think you’re going to have to take a stroke, Dick.”</p>
<p>“I can’t believe he did that,” Dick said, shocked.</p>
<p>“Why not,” Tim asked, “you know he holds grudges.  He’s got six months of silence to make up for.”</p>
<p>Dick sighed, “The punch in the mouth a couple nights ago wasn’t enough for him?”</p>
<p>“This isn’t the time for this,” Jason said, waving the boys on ahead, “We’ll let them get a hole or two ahead and move on.  Now, just hit your ball, Dick…if you can find it.”</p>
<p>Jon stood uncomfortably next to Damian as Jai hit his next shot, “What did you do that for, Damian?  Are you mad at Uncle Dick?”</p>
<p>Damian bristled at the name, but calmed quickly and said, “Yes, I am.”</p>
<p>Jon was a bit worried about his friend’s tone of voice, “Why?  What did he do?”</p>
<p>Damian stayed silent for a minute while he and Jon took their next shots.  Walking down to putt out, Damian said softly, “He disappeared.  He left me.  He fell off the face of the Earth for six months, then just showed up and expected to continue like nothing happened.”</p>
<p>Jon tried to figure out a solution to a problem he hadn’t known was still happening, “I thought you two were trying to work it out.  Can’t you just accept that he’s back?”</p>
<p>“I do accept that he’s back,” Damian said, “That doesn’t mean I forgive him for leaving in the first place.”</p>
<p>“You knew where he was,” Jai said, joining in on the conversation.</p>
<p>“More or less,” Damian admitted, “A traveling circus isn’t the easiest thing to track.”</p>
<p>“Did you even try,” Jai asked, knowing Damian’s moods.</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “Just enough to see if he was still alive…once.”</p>
<p>“Just once,” Jon asked.</p>
<p>“Why should I make more of an effort than he did,” Damian asked, a slightly sheepish tone in his voice.</p>
<p>Jai shook his head and sighed.</p>
<p>Jon was confused about the situation, “He’s your brother.  Shouldn’t you be a little more forgiving?  Do you know how much I would love to have a real brother?  You’re just…ignoring one of the three you’re lucky enough to have.”</p>
<p>Damian stopped and turned to face Jon, “You know what the last six months have been like.  I’ve been through a lot since I came to Gotham, and through all of it, Grayson’s been there for me.  He’s the only one who has always been there when I needed him.  Well, I needed him like I’ve never needed him before over the last few months, and he wasn’t there.  He wasn’t there.”</p>
<p>Damian trailed off as he looked down at the ground.  Little did Damian know that his older brothers were watching him closely, from just within hearing range.  Damian picked up his ball and walked to the next hole.  Jon and Jai noticed the older brothers watching their conversation intently.  Tim held a finger to his lips to get the youths to stay quiet about the revelation, and Dick motioned them on, to catch up with Damian.</p>
<p>Jon’s blue and red ball bounced off of Damian’s shoe as the boy took a quick shot to catch up with the teen.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Damian said softly, “I should have moved.”</p>
<p>Jai’s orange ball went bouncing out of bounds after a wild shot.  He giggled as he climbed into a bush, looking for his ball. </p>
<p>Returning to the course a minute later, Jai asked seriously, “Is that why you started getting closer to us?  Uncle Dick wasn’t there for you?”</p>
<p>Damian looked up seriously, “You two, and the rest of the team, were there for me when I needed someone.  I want to thank you for that.”</p>
<p>Jai sighed, “I wish you had been a little more open about what was going on.”</p>
<p>“What good would that have done,” Damian asked.</p>
<p>“We could have done more for you,” Jon said, “We’re friends, Damian.  Family.  What good are friends who aren’t there for each other?”</p>
<p>Damian looked back and forth between the boys.  He didn’t like the conflicted looks on their faces.  Damian took a deep breath and said, “What are they good for, indeed.  I believe that is a question that we can answer through actions, instead of words.  I want to thank you for being worried about me, but this isn’t the kind of conversation we should be having at Putt Putt Paradise.”</p>
<p>The boy’s looks started to clear, and Jon asked, “Are you going to be nicer to Uncle Dick?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t say that,” Damian said, “I just said we can discuss it later.”</p>
<p>“If you don’t want to be around him, why is he here,” Jai asked.</p>
<p>Damian shrugged, “I don’t know.  It was just supposed to be the three of us and Tim tonight.  I don’t know why the other two tagged along, when they weren’t invited.</p>
<p>Damian’s eyes widened suddenly.  Jai looked concerned as he asked, “What?”</p>
<p>“I figured out why they’re here tonight.  It’s date night.”</p>
<p>Jai’s eyes widened, and he hissed, “Dick and Jason are <em>dating</em>?”</p>
<p>Tim had to bite his lip hard to not laugh as he overheard a bit of the boy’s conversation.  Jon had no such restriction on mirth, and laughed at Jai’s statement.</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “No, not Grayson and Todd.  Father and Miss Kyle.”</p>
<p>Jon eyed Damian, knowing of the teen’s difficulties with that relationship in the past.  “Are you okay with that?”</p>
<p>Damian thought for a minute, “We’re getting better.  I, um, we’ve come to a bit of an understanding.”  Damian smiled, “Father has eased up considerably on me and my girlfriend since he got his girlfriend, so there’s that.”</p>
<p>Jai thought for a second, “Are we ever going to meet this mystery girlfriend of yours?  You’ve provided no proof, other than your word, that she exists.”</p>
<p>Jon nodded, “Yeah, can we meet her?”</p>
<p>Damian looked over at Jon, “Jon, you saw a picture of her.  You know she exists.  You’ve talked to her, too.”</p>
<p>Jon smiled at the memory, “I saw a drawing, which could have been of anyone.”</p>
<p>Damian blushed at the mention of the drawing, about which he had sworn Jon to secrecy, and said, “I showed you a real picture, too.  A couple of them, actually.”</p>
<p>Jon had to think back, “Oh, yeah.  You did.  I forgot.”</p>
<p>Jai looked back and forth between his two friends before saying, “I never got to see a picture.”</p>
<p>Damian thought about it, “No, you didn’t.  Here, I think this is the most recent one I have.”</p>
<p>Damian pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought up a picture of the couple at Robin’s Prom.  Robin wore a pale jade green sheath dress and heels, while Damian wore a classic tuxedo with a white jacket.  It took quite a lot of effort for Jon not to laugh at the fact that, with the heels, Robin stood a couple inches taller than Damian.</p>
<p>Damian smiled at the picture, “I surprised her and took her to her Prom a couple months ago.  She wasn’t expecting me to go out for it.”</p>
<p>Jai stared with wide eyes, “Man.  She is…how old is she?”</p>
<p>“Seventeen,” Damian replied.</p>
<p>“But, you’re only fifteen.”</p>
<p>“I’ll be sixteen in a couple months,” Damian said, trying to defend their age difference.</p>
<p>Jon eyed Damian nervously, “Isn’t that when you got…”</p>
<p>Damian sighed and looked down, hating the memory Jon had reminded him of, “Yes, that’s when Robin and I were caught in the house fire.”</p>
<p>The boys putted at a windmill before Damian changed the subject and asked, “So, what about you, Jai?  When are you going to stop pretending that you aren’t interested and just ask Lian out?”</p>
<p>Thrown off by the blunt question, Jai gave his club a full swing.  The orange golf ball flew up, smacked loudly off of the side of the windmill, and ricocheted over the boy’s heads.  Jason just barely caught the ball before it could hit him in the face as the older brothers were approaching the windmill.</p>
<p>Jai turned with an embarrassment-reddened face to Damian and stuttered, “W-w-why w-would I d-do th-that?”</p>
<p>Damian grew a satisfied smile and said, “Because you’ve had a crush on her for years.  What, you think I didn’t notice?  You think the whole team didn’t notice?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t notice,” Jon said.</p>
<p>Damian glanced at Jon before turning back and saying, “That notwithstanding, it’s not as much of a secret as you might think it is.”</p>
<p>Jason walked up to the boys and held out Jai’s orange ball, “I don’t know if I should say nice shot or watch it.  What happened?”</p>
<p>Jai took the ball numbly, still staring at Damian as he asked, “Everyone knows?”</p>
<p>“Everyone knows what,” Jason asked.</p>
<p>Damian turned to Jason, nodded at Jai, and said, “Him and a certain young archer.”</p>
<p>Jason winced, “Oooh, yeah.  Not quite sure how Roy feels about that one.  You might want to make a decision on that one, before he does.”</p>
<p>The embarrassed flush in Jai’s cheeks fled incredibly fast as he paled in an instant.  He whispered, “Lian’s <em>dad</em> knows?”</p>
<p>Jason grew a large smirk at the youth’s tone, “Seems like everyone knew except you.  You going to make a move?”</p>
<p>Jai looked up in confusion, “You think I should?”</p>
<p>Damian smiled, “I do.  I think she does, too.”</p>
<p>“Why do you think that?”</p>
<p>“Why do you think she sits next to you at every training and meeting?”</p>
<p>Jai shrugged, “It’s usually the last chair available.”</p>
<p>“Or, maybe she wants to sit next to you,” Damian proposed.</p>
<p>Jai sighed, “I don’t know what to do now.”</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “You’ve known her for most of your life.  It’s not like you’re going up to a complete stranger and introducing yourself.  Just talk to her.  You might be surprised.”</p>
<p>“But, what if it doesn’t work out,” Jai asked nervously, his voice cracking.</p>
<p>“Then it doesn’t work out,” Damian said, “At least you will have tried.  Why don’t you talk to her next weekend, after training?”</p>
<p>Jai walked away with new thoughts running through his head.</p>
<p>Jason nudged Damian and asked, “Just what exactly was going on for this to come up?”</p>
<p>Damian shrugged, “We were talking about why you are here tonight when you weren’t invited.  I remembered Father’s date night, which turned into a discussion about my girlfriend.  I didn’t want to talk about her anymore; I was starting to miss her.  So, I asked if Jai was finally going to make a move on Lian.”</p>
<p>Jason nodded, “Well, it was a bit surprising how you handled that.”</p>
<p>Damian shrugged again, “Father never put a limit on what kinds of advice I’m supposed to be giving my team.”</p>
<p>Jason grew a small smirk, “Well, keep it up.  You did good.”</p>
<p>Jason walked away, and Jon said quietly as they approached Jai, “You really did do good.  Have you thought of taking your own advice, and talking to Uncle Dick?”</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “I’m not ready to stop being mad at him.”</p>
<p>Jon cocked his head, “I think you are.  I think you’re just too stubborn to admit it.  If you were really mad at him, you never would have accepted him being here tonight.”</p>
<p>Damian sighed again, but stayed silent, because he couldn’t argue with a true statement.  Damian ached for things to go back to normal between him and his favorite brother.  He knew things had to change; he just didn’t think it was obvious enough for his twelve-year-old friend to point out.</p>
<p>Jon knew he had scored a point in his favor.  Jon nudged the older teen in a good-natured way and giggled as he said, “Take your own advice.  Just talk to him.  You’ll feel better.”</p>
<p>Damian stopped suddenly, and Jon nearly ran into him.  Damian looked Jon up and down before lightly running his index finger down Jon’s cheek and saying softly, “When did you get to be so smart?  Smart, funny, attractive…I swear, if I didn’t have a girlfriend, I would be so hot for you right now.”</p>
<p>Jon slapped Damian’s hand away from his face and hopped back a step, “Cut that out.  You know it makes me uncomfortable when you play around like that.”</p>
<p>Damian’s smile grew, “I know.  Why do you think I do it?  Hey, you <em>do</em> know I’m not being serious when I do that, right?”</p>
<p>Jon took a deep breath, “Yeah, I know.  Still, though, it’s kind of eerie how serious you look when you do that.”</p>
<p>Damian smirked, “That’s the idea.  By the way, did you forget that you and Robin are friends on Facebook?”</p>
<p>Jon blushed lightly, “No, but the rest of the team doesn’t know that.  I didn’t know if you wanted that getting out or not, so I just played along with Jai.”</p>
<p>Damian nodded, “Okay.  I don’t know if I want that getting out yet, either.  Robin emails Irey, though, every now and then.  I guess she kept that one quiet, too.”</p>
<p>The boys rejoined Jai at the last hole.  Dick, Jason, and Tim were hovering behind the boys, having mostly given up on their own game to observe and listen to the youths.  They didn’t hear everything; just enough to know that the kids were happy.</p>
<p>Finishing the course, the elders approached the youths, and Dick asked, “Did you like that?”</p>
<p>The kids turned and looked up at Dick, and Dick was surprised at the look Damian was sending his way.  <em>What happened?  What were they talking about when we couldn’t hear them?  Whatever it was, it obviously helped.  Damian isn’t glaring at me anymore.  I would call that look cautiously optimistic.</em></p>
<p>Jai smiled and said, “Yeah, that was fun.”</p>
<p>Jon chirped, “What’s next?”</p>
<p>Damian eyed Dick for a second before saying, “I think Dick said something about buying us ice cream earlier.”</p>
<p><em>I never said that,</em> Dick thought.  <em>Still, if that means he’s willing to be around me, I can do that.  He called me Dick again.  Is that good news, or a slip of the tongue?</em></p>
<p>Tim spoke up, “I don’t think we can go home yet, so we might as well hit up the ice cream parlor.”</p>
<p>Jon looked confused and asked, “Why can’t we go home yet?”</p>
<p>Jason started to laugh before Dick elbowed him. </p>
<p>Damian said, “Date night, remember?  That reminds me…”  Damian pulled out his phone and started typing out a text message.</p>
<p>“The girlfriend,” Jason asked.</p>
<p>Tim walked over and read over Damian’s shoulder, “Miss Kyle, when you are having sexual intercourse with Father tonight, please remember to remain quiet.  My friends are sleeping over tonight.”</p>
<p>“What’s that for,” Dick asked as the youths flushed a deep red in embarrassment.</p>
<p>Damian shrugged, “Father suggested I find ways to bond with Miss Kyle.  We have taken to trying to embarrass each other through calls and texts.”</p>
<p>Dick just shook his head as Jason snorted a laugh.  Tim said, “Well, that one ought to do it.”</p>
<p>Damian’s phone beeped, and Damian’s cheeks reddened at the reply.  Tim read over Damian’s shoulder again, “We’re done already.  I guess the Wayne stamina is just a myth.  At least, it isn’t what it used to be.”</p>
<p>Dick and Jason were laughing, and even Jai was covering a smile.</p>
<p>“Selina one, Damian nothing,” Jason said.</p>
<p>“I don’t give up that easily,” Damian grumbled.  He spoke as he typed his next message, “More like myth as in legendary.  If you want proof, I’ll get you front row seats the next time my girlfriend is in town.”</p>
<p>A quick reply from Selina was read by the smirking teen, “Stop!  Enough!  Okay, you win this round, kiddo.”</p>
<p>Damian sent one last message, reading, “As expected.  You almost had me this time, though.  And, it’s still too soon for ‘kiddo’.”</p>
<p>Damian put his phone back in his pocket and said, “Well, I feel better now.  Ice cream awaits.”</p>
<p>The six squeezed into Jason’s truck, the only vehicle they could take tonight that could fit all of them, without taking the limousine.  Jai sat in front, between Jason and Dick, while Damian squeezed in between Tim and Jon in the back.  Jason drove them to a nearby mall, where they found themselves in line for a rather crowded frozen yogurt stand.</p>
<p>As they waited, Dick took a chance and nudged Damian lightly.  “Hey, thanks for volunteering me to pay.”</p>
<p>Damian didn’t turn around as he said, “You would have paid anyway.  You are the highest paid out of all of us.”</p>
<p>“And, what if I said you had to treat your friends?”</p>
<p>Damian turned to look at Dick and asked, “You aren’t going to treat your godkids?”</p>
<p>Dick looked over Damian’s head at the two youths, who were desperate to look like they weren’t eavesdropping, “Well…yeah, I guess so.”</p>
<p>Jai was unable to keep his hissed, “Yes,” to himself.</p>
<p>Damian snorted, “You aren’t treating anybody, Dick.”</p>
<p><em>I love that he is still calling me by my first name, even though he is still mad at me.</em>  “And why is that?”</p>
<p>Damian turned around to walk forward as the line moved.  As he stopped, still with his back to Dick, Damian held up a wallet in his left hand.</p>
<p>Dick gasped as he recognized the billfold as his own and snatched it out of Damian’s hand.  “I’ve been behind you the whole time.  How did you do that?”</p>
<p>“No, you haven’t,” Damian said, “Besides, just because I had it doesn’t mean I took it.  Do you know of anyone here who can move faster than the eye can track, who has also been trained by a sneaky bastard?”</p>
<p>Jai whipped around, “Why would you call me that word?  That’s not nice.”</p>
<p>Damian rolled his eyes, “You need to work on your eavesdropping, Jai.  You’re the fast one, <em>I’m</em> the sneaky bastard.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” the speedster said.</p>
<p>Dick got a sneaking suspicion, knowing his brother, and checked his wallet.  “Okay, where’s the money?”</p>
<p>“What money?”  Damian didn’t sound nearly as innocent as he hoped he would.</p>
<p>“Damian,” Dick growled.</p>
<p>Damian held up his arms, like a magician, showing he had nothing up his sleeves.  He then reached out and grabbed Jon’s ear.</p>
<p>“Hey,” the super youth exclaimed, and turned quickly to look as Damian made the stack of cash appear, as if out of thin air.</p>
<p>Damian gave his friend a smirk, “Jon, you really need to clean out your ears more often.”</p>
<p>Dick rolled his eyes, “Is it all there?”</p>
<p>Damian huffed.  <em>I’m trying to make things right; does he have to sound like that?  Jon was right, I’m tired of being angry.  Maybe this is too much, too soon?</em>  “Why don’t you count it, to make sure,” Damian said softly before turning away and moving to stand next to his friends.</p>
<p><em>Great, Dick.  Now he’s mad again.</em>  Dick sighed as he unfolded the stack of bills.  One bill fell out of the middle of the stack.  Dick barely held his gasp as he bent down to pick up the hundred-dollar bill, which had been folded into a Nightwing crest and carefully placed into the center of Dick’s money stack.</p>
<p>Dick matched Damian’s order of two scoops of plain vanilla ice cream before handing some money to Jason and grabbing Damian’s arm to pull him out of line.  They overheard Jon ask, “Is he in trouble,” before Dick stopped and turned to his younger brother.</p>
<p>“What’s going on here,” Dick asked.</p>
<p>Damian just barely glanced up before saying, “I’m tired.”</p>
<p>“What,” Dick asked, using two fingers to force Damian’s chin up so he could meet his eyes.</p>
<p>“I’m tired,” Damian said, a little louder, “I’m tired of us.  I’m tired of pretending like nothing’s wrong when something is.  I’m…I’m tired of convincing myself I hate you when…when, I-I…don’t.”</p>
<p>Dick’s jaw sagged, “Then, what’s been going on for the last week?  Why have we existed on different planes?”</p>
<p>Damian looked down again, “I was hurt, by the one person who swore to never do that, and had actually kept that promise.  You hurt me, Dick, do you realize that?  You left us.  Then, I found out you had been calling everyone else <em>but</em> me.  It made me realize that you didn’t leave <em>us</em>, you left <em>me</em>, and that hurt more.”</p>
<p>Dick sighed, his hand dropping to his side, “Damian, I had to go.  You know that.  I honestly didn’t think I would be gone for six months.”</p>
<p>Damian looked down again, “When did you decide you weren’t coming home with us?”</p>
<p>“The last time I went to visit Pop, in the hospital.  There was more that still needed to be done.  They needed me.  They’re my family, Damian, just like you.  They were my first family, and I couldn’t turn my back on them when they needed me.”</p>
<p>Damian opened his mouth to shoot a scathing reply at his brother, but held his tongue.  <em>We can’t get into this here, not like we need to.  This is too public, but I have to know one more thing.</em></p>
<p>It took all of his restraint to hold back what he really wanted to say, but he did.  “We’ll talk about all of this later.  The mall isn’t the place for this.  I have to know one thing, though.  Why didn’t you call me?”</p>
<p>Dick was staring at Damian’s knees as he said, “With the way you stormed off at the airport, I figured that bridge was pretty much burned.  Then, I got reports that you were really upset.”</p>
<p>“…And you didn’t think hearing from you might help the situation,” Damian interrupted.</p>
<p>Dick looked into Damian’s hurt eyes, “I didn’t want to risk making things worse when I wasn’t there, in front of you.”</p>
<p>Damian and Dick took their ice cream from Tim, who was the only one brave enough to approach the pair.  They walked to a table close to the rest of their group and ate in a strained silence.</p>
<p>Once they all had finished their treat, Jason stood up and said, “I think we can go home now.”</p>
<p>The group filed out of the mall and towards Jason’s truck.  Damian hung back from the group, and Jon and Jai joined him.</p>
<p>Speaking softly, Damian said, “I’m really sorry, guys.  This isn’t how tonight was supposed to go.”</p>
<p>“No,” Jon said, “but that’s been needing to happen for months.  Are you two better now?”</p>
<p>Damian sighed and shook his head, “No, we aren’t, but I think we can try now.”</p>
<p>The boys returned to the truck, where the older brothers were waiting.  Damian eyed his older brothers before turning to Jai and saying, “I think you’ll have more room in the back, Jai.”</p>
<p>Jai looked back and forth between Dick and Damian and asked, “Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Damian said softly, climbing into the front middle seat.</p>
<p>Damian sat stiffly between Jason and Dick.  Jason drove away from the mall, with everyone enduring the tense silence, before Dick said softly, “Did you want to try again, or did you want to wait until we have more room, so you can take a swing at me again?”</p>
<p>“I’ll wait,” Damian said coldly.</p>
<p>“Uh-oh,” Jason said.</p>
<p>Damian turned his head and snapped, “What do you mean, uh-oh?”</p>
<p>Jason pointed out of the windshield and up.  Damian and Dick followed the pointing finger up to the Bat Signal, shining over the city. Dick pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Bruce’s phone on speakerphone.</p>
<p>“Bruce?”</p>
<p>Bruce cut Dick off shortly, “I saw it, and I already talked to the Commissioner.”</p>
<p>Dick didn’t like the sound of Bruce’s voice, “Are you good, or…”</p>
<p>“No,” Bruce said.  Only Dick caught the level of nerves in Bruce’s voice when the man said, “This is big.  I need all of you for this one.”</p>
<p>“What about my friends,” Damian asked.</p>
<p><em>I love hearing him talk about friends from the perspective of having them, instead of wanting them,</em> Dick thought.</p>
<p>Bruce considered his options before asking, “Boys, can you hear me?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” the youths chorused nervously.</p>
<p>“Did you bring your uniforms,” Bruce asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” they both responded, surprising Damian.</p>
<p>“Bring them along, then.”</p>
<p>Dick stopped his jaw from dropping, “Bruce, Clark and Wally will kill you.”</p>
<p>“Only if something happens to them,” Bruce said, “They obviously brought their uniforms for a reason.”</p>
<p>“I won’t let anything happen to them, Father,” Damian said authoritatively.</p>
<p>Bruce sounded just as confident, “I know you won’t.”</p>
<p>“What’s going on, Bruce,” Tim asked as Jason raced across town.</p>
<p>Bruce sighed, “A riot in Crime Alley.  A big one.  Gordon’s called in every cop in the city to try to handle it.  Half of Crime Alley is on fire.  There are reports of massive looting.  It’s crazy out there.”</p>
<p>“What caused it,” Jason asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Bruce said, annoyance filling his tone, “A sports team won, or lost, or something.  Look, I have to get out there.  Get back here as soon as possible and hit the streets.  I’ll leave assignments for each of you on the computer.  Report in when you’re on the streets.”</p>
<p>The six young vigilantes walked into Stately Wayne Manor, and Damian asked his friends, “Where are your uniforms?”</p>
<p>“Upstairs, in my bag,” Jai said.</p>
<p>“Mine, too,” Jon chimed in.</p>
<p>Damian stopped cold and turned on his friends, “You brought uniforms into the house?  Don’t let Alfred find out about that.”</p>
<p>“Don’t let Alfred find out about what?”</p>
<p>The smooth English accent of the long-time family butler was enough to freeze Damian in place.  He turned slowly to find Alfred staring at him expectantly.</p>
<p>Damian blushed in embarrassment and said, “A house rule I didn’t cover with my friends.  I didn’t know they were bringing their uniforms.”</p>
<p>Alfred hid his smile, “And, I assume those uniforms are upstairs, instead of down in the cave, where they belong?”</p>
<p>Jon and Jai both winced nervously as Damian said, “Yes, Alfred.”</p>
<p>“I see,” the butler said, secretly enjoying the way Jon and Jai were trying to hide behind Damian.  “You weren’t thinking of trying to go on patrol on a night like tonight, were you?”</p>
<p>Damian swallowed hard, “Father said to bring them along.  He said he needs all of us.”</p>
<p>Dick approached the butler and said, “Bruce really did say he needs all of us, and soon, Alfred.”</p>
<p>Alfred held Dick’s gaze for several long seconds before saying, “Run along, boys.  Not you, Master Damian.”</p>
<p>Dick started to herd Jon and Jai away when Alfred said commandingly, “Stay, Master Dick.”</p>
<p>Once the youths were out of earshot, Alfred turned on the brothers, “Master Damian, are you comfortable taking your friends out onto the Gotham streets?”</p>
<p>Damian wasn’t sure about the true answer to that question, so he deflected and said, “Father needs us.”</p>
<p>“I see.”  Alfred could read the truth behind the non-answer.</p>
<p>“I won’t let them out of my sight, Alfred,” the teen said.</p>
<p>Dick said, “They can handle themselves.  They’ve had good training.”</p>
<p><em>He’s trying to get on my good side,</em> Damian thought, <em>do I want to let him?</em></p>
<p>Alfred looked back and forth between his charges before saying, “If your Father didn’t need you two tonight, I would lock you both in a room until you were on speaking terms again.  This has gone on too long, and you two are too close to be this far apart.”</p>
<p>“Maybe that isn’t a bad idea, Alfred,” Dick said seriously.</p>
<p>“If I might be allowed to offer the use of my Nest for the upcoming conversation,” Damian offered.</p>
<p>Dick looked down at his brother and asked, “Because you feel comfortable there, or because the walls are covered in weapons?”</p>
<p>Alfred looked behind his charges, “Your friends, and your father, are waiting.  This is not over yet, though.  I will be waiting when you get home.  Your issues end tonight.”</p>
<p>The two heroes and the two heroes-in-training trooped down to the cave.  Jon leaned over and asked, “Did we get you in trouble?”</p>
<p>Damian smiled, “No, you two are fine.  I’m perfectly capable of getting in trouble all on my own.”</p>
<p>“But still,” Jai said, “Mr. Alfred sounded angry.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about that,” Damian said, “Worry about what’s in front of us.”</p>
<p>Jon looked ahead as they descended into the cave.  “We’re supposed to worry about Uncle Dick?”</p>
<p>Dick snorted a laugh as he walked in front of the youths, “He means, worry about the riot.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Jon said nervously.</p>
<p>“Come on, let’s get dressed,” Damian said.</p>
<p>Several minutes later, the boys walked out of the locker room.</p>
<p>Mercury nudged Robin, “I never realized there are so many parts to your uniform, Rob.”</p>
<p>Robin smirked, “It takes a lot to look this good.”</p>
<p>Mercury rolled his eyes as they approached the computer, “Keep telling yourself that, Rob.”</p>
<p>Robin gave a soft smile as he turned to his older brothers, “What’s it look like?”</p>
<p>Nightwing shook his head, “It doesn’t look good.  First and second wards are reported to be complete anarchy.  Looters are grabbing anything that isn’t nailed down.  Riot squads are heading in from all over the city to try to restore order.  Batman left us assignments.  Red Hood, you’re going to the fourth ward, north east.  Try to keep the rioters from spreading into the docklands.  Red Robin, you’re going to the power station at Grant and Heath.  Keep the lights on as best you can.  Robin, you take the boys to Northpointe Mall.  Looters are heading in that direction.  Try to keep them south of Hoyle street.  I’m going to University and Pine in third ward.  Robin, get your team set up with comms and get out there.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded as he pulled out a box of earwigs, and the older heroes left the cave.</p>
<p>Robin fitted an earpiece in Mercury’s ear as the speedster asked, “Um, how are we getting there?  Batman took the Batmobile.”</p>
<p>Robin smirked, “I’m taking my motorcycle.  You’re going to do what you do best.”</p>
<p>“What about me,” Superboy asked.</p>
<p>“You’re going to fly.”</p>
<p>Both younger boys smiled as Robin started his bike.  “Stay close,” the teen called out as he revved his engine and sped out of the cave.</p>
<p>The trio rode, ran, and flew through the warm night air on their way to their assignment.  Mercury came over the comms and asked, “Hey, Rob, why didn’t you seem too happy about our assignment?”</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “Switch to channel three, you’re on an open line.”</p>
<p>A quick change of frequency later, Mercury said, “Well?”</p>
<p>Little did Robin know that the three of them weren’t the only ones who switched channels.  “Let me give you a quick Gotham geography lesson.  Ward One and Ward Two, where the riots are centered, are in the extreme south of Crime Alley.  Northpointe Mall is north of Crime Alley.  Hoyle street is the unofficial limit of Crime Alley.  The mall is a block north of that.  We are responding to a Crime Alley riot, and we aren’t even going to be <em>in</em> Crime Alley.”</p>
<p>“That’s our fault, isn’t it,” Superboy said.</p>
<p>Robin sighed again, “Our job is to keep the looting from spreading outside of Crime Alley, and it is an important job.  It is also a low-risk job, and that is being done to keep you two a little safer.  The worst nights in Central City or Metropolis only amount to a mildly busy night in Gotham City.  Even our lighter assignment will be nothing like either of you have faced before.”</p>
<p>The youths pulled up outside of the Northpointe Mall to find the parking lot empty and dark.  Sounds of the riot could be heard from the south, but it hadn’t come this far north yet.</p>
<p>Parking his bike next to the south entrance, Robin said, “Mercury, take a quick lap around the building.  Make sure no one is around.”</p>
<p>“Got it, Rob.”</p>
<p>The speedster ran off as Robin tuned his radio back to channel one, “We’re on station.  Everything is quiet so far.”</p>
<p>Batman’s voice came back as Mercury returned and gave Robin a thumbs up.  “Understood, Robin.  Reports state there is movement in your direction.  Stay alert.”</p>
<p>“Understood.  Out.”</p>
<p>Robin stopped transmitting, and Superboy asked, “Now what?”</p>
<p>Robin shrugged, “Stay alert.”</p>
<p>“Why would the looters want to come here,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>Robin looked around, then said, “Northpointe Mall isn’t your ordinary mall.  Bottom floor is a combination of department stores and electronics retailers.  The top two floors are jewelry retailers and wholesalers.  Lots of expensive items behind these doors.”</p>
<p>Mercury nodded, “Oh.  That makes sense.  What do we do now?”</p>
<p>“We wait,” Robin said.</p>
<p>The sound of a breaking window and a car alarm sounded from closer than Robin hoped, three minutes after silence fell between the trio.</p>
<p>Robin’s head swiveled in the direction of the noise, “Damn.  Sooner than I thought.  Let’s not tip our hand to our numbers.  Superboy, get on top of the building and see if you can see them.  Both of you, switch to channel three and keep your comms open.  Remain calm, we’ll get through this.  Superboy, go.  Come back when you see them.”</p>
<p>“Got it, Rob,” Superboy said as he flew away.</p>
<p>Robin turned to Mercury, who was blurring at the edges.  Robin gripped the younger teen’s shoulder, “It’s okay to be nervous, Merc, but try to stay calm.”</p>
<p>Mercury took a deep breath, “I’m glad it’s okay to be nervous, because I am.”</p>
<p>Robin gave a smile, “Nothing to be nervous about.  I have a plan, and you get to do what you do best.”</p>
<p>Mercury looked up with a smile, “What do I do best?”</p>
<p>“Go fast and cause mayhem.”</p>
<p>Mercury gave a big smile, “I <em>am</em> good at that.”</p>
<p>Superboy floated back to Robin’s side, “They’re coming.  They just crossed that Hoyle street.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “We’ll meet them in the middle of the parking lot, to give us room to maneuver.  How many?”</p>
<p>Superboy quailed, “Lots.  Like, a hundred.”</p>
<p>Robin took a deep breath, “Can’t be helped.  Mercury, when I say, you go as fast as you can and hit them as hard as you can from behind.  For now, hide on the other side of those dumpsters and stay out of sight.  SB, you’re with me.”</p>
<p>Robin switched back to channel one and said, “Batman, looters inbound.  They are crossing Hoyle now.  Superboy estimates close to one hundred.”</p>
<p>“Bats, that’s too many,” Nightwing’s voice sounded over the line.</p>
<p>Batman could be heard sighing, “Robin?”</p>
<p>“I have a plan, Batman, but if it doesn’t work, we’ll get out of here.”</p>
<p>The line was quiet for half a minute before Batman said, “You know your team best.  Can you three handle this?”</p>
<p>Robin looked at the scared but determined look on Superboy’s face and said, “I trust my team.  We’ll be alright.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Batman said, “I’m still going to request police backup at your location.”</p>
<p>The first looters came into view, and Robin said, “The sooner, the better.  They’re here.”</p>
<p>Robin switched back to channel three and said, “Stay cool, Merc.  Wait for your cue.”</p>
<p>Robin and Superboy walked forward, and Robin called out, “That’s far enough.  Police are on the way, and you are committing an unlawful act.”</p>
<p>The two looters in front nudged each other and laughed, “Look, it’s Batboy and Superkid.”</p>
<p>Superboy shook his head and called out, “That’s Superboy and Batkid, not the other way around.”</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes under his mask and muttered, “Whose side are you on?”</p>
<p>“Sorry, Rob,” Superboy said softly.</p>
<p>“No, it’s okay.  If we distract them enough, they might go away.”  Robin turned back to the looters, “So, what’s it going to be?  Are you going to stop?”</p>
<p>A looter called out, “Are you kidding?  It’s five-finger discount day in Gotham.  There are far more of us than you.  Isn’t it past your bedtime?”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “Are you going to make it easy on yourselves?  You’re not going to get past us, and the police are on their way.  Go back south of Hoyle and there won’t be a problem.”</p>
<p>One looter stepped forward and said, “There’s already a problem.  You’re in our way.”</p>
<p>Superboy gasped as the looter pulled a large revolver from under his jacket.  Robin muttered quietly, “You’re bulletproof and my uniform incorporates body armor.  Don’t panic.”</p>
<p>Robin spoke to the looters again, “Is this really what you want to do?”</p>
<p>“Yes, it is,” the man said before taking aim and firing a shot at Superboy.</p>
<p>The youth shouted as he fell to the ground.  Robin looked down at Superboy, then back at the shooter, “You’re going to regret that.”</p>
<p>The man gave an evil smile, “Why, because I killed your boyfriend?”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “You didn’t kill him.  What you did is make him very, very mad.”</p>
<p>Superboy sat up quickly, to the gasps of the crowd, and melted the gun with his heat vision.  His eyes glowing red, Superboy floated next to Robin, looking ready to attack.</p>
<p>Robin smirked and said, “Still think this is worth it?”</p>
<p>Another looter spoke up and said, “The two of you can’t take all of us.”</p>
<p>Robin’s smile grew, “Oh, you think it’s just the two of us here?”</p>
<p>“He’s just trying to scare us.  Let’s get ‘em!”</p>
<p>The crowd started moving forward.  Robin activated his radio and said, “Mercury, go!  Superboy, don’t kill anyone.  Just hurt them a lot.”</p>
<p>The Boy of Steel paused for a second, “Don’t you mean <em>don’t</em> hurt them?”</p>
<p>“Nope,” Robin said, “They shot you.  They deserve this.”</p>
<p>Superboy flew off to the front of the crowd as Mercury hit the back of the crowd.  Robin drew his staff and dove into the frenzy with a wicked smile on his face.</p>
<p>Batman broke into channel three five minutes later, “Robin, report.  Why are there police reports of shots fired at your location?”</p>
<p>Robin grunted, “I’m a little busy right now, Batman.”</p>
<p>“Answer me!”</p>
<p>Robin sighed as he knocked out yet another looter, “It was only one shot.”</p>
<p>“Was anyone hit,” Batman asked, hiding his nerves.</p>
<p>Robin swung his staff again, “Superboy.  He’s fine.  A little pissed off, but fine.”</p>
<p>“Sit rep,” Batman demanded.</p>
<p>Robin didn’t answer for a couple minutes as a wave of looters tried to surround him, so Batman yelled again.  Robin finally responded, “There’s something wrong here, Batman.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Robin swung his staff, clearing a small space in front of him, “There are three of us, and a whole bunch of them.”</p>
<p>“I’m aware of that,” Batman said tersely, “What’s your point?”</p>
<p>“None of them are heading for the mall,” Robin reported, “They are all stopping to fight.  You would think at least one would make a break for the mall.”</p>
<p>Batman sounded introspective, “We’re seeing the same things here.  It’s almost like they’re stalling for time.”</p>
<p>“I’m checking the police bands,” Red Robin said, breaking into the once-private channel.</p>
<p>Robin back flipped out of his fight to catch his breath, then called out, “Mercury, I can see you.  Move faster.  If I can see you, then so can they.”</p>
<p>“Right, Boss,” the younger teen called breathlessly.</p>
<p>“If you need a break, do it away from the fight,” Robin called.  “That goes for you too, Superboy.”</p>
<p>“We’re taking them all down,” Superboy snarled.</p>
<p><em>I don’t like that tone from him.  It doesn’t sound right.</em>  “Yes, we are, but pace yourself.”</p>
<p>Fifteen minutes later, the only people standing in the Northpointe Mall parking lot were Robin, Superboy, and Mercury.  Robin hurried over to Superboy and unzipped the youth’s sweatshirt.</p>
<p>“What are you doing,” Superboy asked as Robin fingered the hole in Superboy’s shirt.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?”</p>
<p>Superboy sighed, “That hurt, but it didn’t, um, go inside.”</p>
<p>Robin smiled as he had Superboy pull up his shirt, “Penetrate is the word you’re looking for.” Robin took a close look at the boy’s chest, “Not even a bruise.  Don’t worry about your shirt, Agent A can fix that.”</p>
<p>“I don’t like being that mad, Rob,” Superboy said, looking down as he zipped his jacket back up.</p>
<p>“I know,” Robin said, “But you did a good job containing it.”</p>
<p>“How can you say that,” Superboy asked.  “Look around.  Look at what I did.”</p>
<p>Robin looked around, “Yes, look what we did.  They are all still breathing; still alive.  You were only given one rule for this fight: zero body count.  We did that.  You both did such a good job.  I’m proud of you both.”</p>
<p>Mercury looked up in shock, “You are?”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “Of course.  Look what you two were able to accomplish.  We completed our assignment.  Not one of them even got close to the mall.”</p>
<p>Both younger boys grew warm smiles.  Mercury said, “We did do our job, didn’t we.”</p>
<p>Batman’s voice came over the comms, “Robin, report.”</p>
<p>Robin smiled at his teammates as he said, “We’re standing.  The looters aren’t.”</p>
<p>Red Hood’s voice came over the radio, “You three squirts took down one hundred rioters in twenty minutes?”</p>
<p>Robin shrugged, “Actually, eighty-one.  I counted.”</p>
<p>“What’s your condition,” Batman inquired.</p>
<p>“We’re fine,” Robin replied.</p>
<p>Red Robin asked in a panicked voice, “Are you three near the looters?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.  Why?”</p>
<p>Red Robin shouted in all of their ears, “Get away from them.  Now!”</p>
<p>“What’s wrong, Red Robin,” Robin asked.</p>
<p>“Just do it!  Go!”</p>
<p>Robin looked at his teammates and said, “Let’s go over by the mall.”</p>
<p>“Are any of them frothing,” Red Robin asked as the youths moved.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Foaming at the mouth.”</p>
<p>Robin stopped and looked, “Now that you mention it, all the ones who are face up are.”</p>
<p>“Don’t touch the others to check if they are frothing as well, Robin,” Batman said quickly.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t going to,” Robin said.</p>
<p>“Just move,” Batman said.</p>
<p>“We’re going,” Robin said, “Come on, guys.”</p>
<p>The boys regrouped next to Robin’s motorcycle, and Robin asked, “What was that all about, Red?”</p>
<p>“I’d like to know that myself,” Batman said.</p>
<p>“I overheard some of these guys talking.  One of them was going to take a drink.  The other stopped her and said that ‘If she didn’t want to end up like these brain-dead idiots, she would stick to bottled water’.  Whoever these guys are, they put something in the water.”</p>
<p>“Who is it,” everybody asked at once.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Red Robin said.</p>
<p>Red Hood gasped, “I might know.  I caught one of them talking, too.  He mentioned ‘The Crow’.”</p>
<p>Robin’s eyes widened under his mask, “Not the Scarecrow.”</p>
<p>Batman sighed, “We haven’t heard from him in a while.  It’s a possibility.”</p>
<p>“Who is the Scarecrow,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>“I’ll explain it to you later,” Robin said, “Hopefully, we can get through tonight without that information being necessary.”</p>
<p>The radio on Robin’s motorcycle started to chirp for attention.  Robin cocked his head before answering the call, “Yes?”</p>
<p>“Ah, Master Robin.  Good.”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “What’s going on, Agent A?”</p>
<p>The butler’s latest secret identity said, “I am unable to get ahold of Batman.”</p>
<p>“He must be away from the Batmobile,” Robin said, “Do you want me to patch you into comms?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Master Robin.”</p>
<p>Robin pressed a couple buttons on the console, then tuned his earpiece to channel one, “You’re on, Agent A.”</p>
<p>“Master Batman, can you hear me?”</p>
<p>“What is it,” Batman replied gruffly, “We’re a little busy out here.”</p>
<p>Alfred shook his head at Batman’s tone, “The Commissioner has been trying to reach you.  It seems he has overcommitted his police force to the trouble in Crime Alley.”</p>
<p>“I find that hard to believe,” Batman said.  The Caped Crusader was currently fighting through a group of rioters.  It had been over an hour since he had seen a police officer.</p>
<p>Alfred shook his head, “Well, he claims to have no one available, and the Federal Reserve is currently being robbed.”</p>
<p>Batman rolled his eyes with a sigh, “Of course it is.  We can’t spare anyone, either, Agent A.  Gordon will have to figure something out.”</p>
<p>Robin looked at his friends before breaking into the conversation, “We’ll go, Batman.  Our scene is secure, and we’re closer than any of you.”</p>
<p>“He’s got a point, Batman,” Red Hood said.</p>
<p>Nightwing spoke up, “Robin’s faced Scarecrow before, and he knows how to take care of his team.”</p>
<p>“We don’t know that this is Scarecrow,” Batman said.</p>
<p>“If I may,” the butler said, “You don’t have the time to argue about this.”</p>
<p>Batman let out a rough breath, “Fine.  Go, you three.  Robin, your goal is to keep your team safe first, and stop the robbery second.  I’ll never hear the end of it if anything happens to your team when you were just supposed to be out at an amusement park.”</p>
<p>Robin mounted his motorcycle as he said, “We just won’t tell Superman how Superboy got the hole in his shirt.”</p>
<p>“What hole,” Batman demanded.</p>
<p>“The bullet hole,” Superboy said sheepishly.</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “You could have gone all night without saying those three words.”</p>
<p>Batman had forgotten about that little incident.  “We’ll talk about this later,” Batman growled, turning off the radio call.</p>
<p>Robin picked up his helmet to get ready to leave, then stopped at the looks on his friend’s faces.  “What?”</p>
<p>Mercury and Superboy looked at each other before Mercury asked, “Is it always like this around here?”</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “No.  This is something special.  We didn’t think anything like this was going on tonight.  That’s…just how it is, sometimes.”</p>
<p>“We never get anything like this at home,” Mercury said.</p>
<p>“No one ever said being a hero was easy.”  Robin stared at his friends for a minute before saying, “If either of you want to go home, that’s okay.  This is a life and death situation, and it’s bigger and more dangerous than anything either of you have handled before.  I won’t hold it against you, or think any less of either of you, if you want out.  You both have done so well tonight, but what we’re heading for…I’m nervous.”</p>
<p>Superboy’s eyes widened, “You’re nervous?”</p>
<p>“Anyone with a brain would be nervous, with who we’re dealing with.”  Robin looked seriously at his teammates, “Maybe it’s for the best if you two go home.  There is no shame or dishonor in pulling out of something that is too big for you to handle.”</p>
<p>Superboy and Mercury looked at each other for half a minute before Superboy said, “With as scared as we are, we would be even more scared if we were separated from you.  We can’t sit at home while you go to stop the robbery.”</p>
<p>Mercury nodded, “We’re a team.  We’re going.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, and a satisfied smile tried to break through his normal demeanor, “Then stay close and switch to channel three.  I have a lot to tell you before we get to City Hall.”</p>
<p>The trio sped, ran, and flew out of the parking lot, and Robin said, “Okay, first thing first, this isn’t training.  This is the real thing.  This is, possibly, one of Gotham’s most dangerous criminals.  Scarecrow is a genius when it comes to toxins, hallucinogens, and mind-altering substances.  It’s…it’s not something either of you ever want to be exposed to.”</p>
<p>Mercury swallowed nervously, “Have you ever been exposed to it?”</p>
<p>Robin took a shuddering breath, “I have, which is why I can tell you that you need to be careful tonight.”</p>
<p>“What happened,” Superboy asked.</p>
<p>“I was hit by Scarecrow’s specialty, something he calls Fear Toxin.  I, uh, I was rendered unconscious for two weeks, during which I was subject to the most intense and realistic nightmares of my life.  I have nightmares a lot, you both know that.  This was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, before or since.”</p>
<p>The comm channel fell silent as the boys thought about what could make Robin sound as haunted as he just did.</p>
<p>“What do you think we’re facing tonight,” Mercury asked slowly.</p>
<p>Robin took a deep breath, “It doesn’t sound like causing fear is good enough for the Scarecrow anymore, if what little we know is true.  Now, he wants to control people.  That kind of work costs a lot of money, which has to be why he’s targeting the Reserve.”</p>
<p>“What do they keep at the Reserve,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes, “Really?  I just explained that.  Scarecrow probably needs money to fund his research.  He’s going to the biggest bank in town.  The Federal Reserve is a gold repository.”</p>
<p>Superboy nearly fell out of the sky, “Gold?”</p>
<p>“Yes, lots of it,” Robin said, “We can expect heavy machinery and big trucks.  You don’t break into a place like the repository and only steal one bar.”</p>
<p>“How many people do you think will be there,” Superboy asked.</p>
<p>Robin thought for a second, “You don’t create the diversion Scarecrow did tonight for a smash and grab.  I think we’re looking at a big operation.  Expect a moving crew and armed guards.  And Scarecrow himself.”</p>
<p>“What does he look like,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>“Tall and skinny,” Robin said.  “He usually wears a brown suit, which will look very loose on him.  Oh, and a burlap sack over his head.  If he’s wearing that, stay away from him.  In fact, just stay away from him altogether.  He has aerosol sprayers for his toxins up his sleeves.  If at all possible, try to stay at least ten to fifteen feet away from him at all times.”</p>
<p>Robin pulled into an alley and dismounted his bike.  Superboy and Mercury stopped next to him and looked around suspiciously.</p>
<p>“There’s no one here,” Mercury said.</p>
<p>“Which one is the Reserve,” Superboy asked.</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “It’s two blocks north.”</p>
<p>“Then, why did we stop here,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>Robin said, “We aren’t just going to go running into a situation without a plan.  We need to go in undetected and scout out the scene.  Before we do anything, you both must swear to follow every order I give you, to the letter, the second I give it to you.  I’m not trying to boss you around or exercise some sort of authority.  I’m following Batman’s orders.  You both heard them earlier; it’s more important to keep you two safe than it is to stop the robbery.”</p>
<p>“Are you going to let us do anything,” Superboy asked in a small voice.</p>
<p>“Of course, I am,” Robin replied, “You two are my secret weapons tonight.  Scarecrow has never gone up against Metas.  He won’t know how to combat this new threat.  That said, we don’t know how any of his toxins will affect either of you, so remember to keep your distance unless I tell you to get close.”</p>
<p>Robin pulled out his grapple gun and said, “Let’s get on top of this building and see if we can see anything from here.  Mercury, can you climb?”</p>
<p>Mercury smirked, “Faster than you can.”</p>
<p>Robin matched the smirk as he fired his grappling hook, “Prove it.”</p>
<p>Mercury shimmied up the Bat-rope quicker than Robin thought he would.  Superboy smiled up at the speedster as he crested the top of the ten-story building and asked, “What about me?”</p>
<p>Robin turned to his young friend, “You want to climb, too?  I figured you would just fly up there.”</p>
<p>Superboy shrugged, “Climbing is fun.  I’m usually the only one who can get up the pole in gym class.  I know you remember that.”</p>
<p>Robin arched an eyebrow under his mask, “So, it’s not fun, it’s bragging.”</p>
<p>Superboy blushed a bit, “Well, yeah.”</p>
<p>Robin held out the rope to his friend, “Go on, but remember, you weren’t the only one to get up the pole.  I got up it faster than you did.  When you get to the top, both of you crouch down and hide.”</p>
<p>After Superboy made it to the roof of the apartment building, Robin used his grapple gun to pull him to the top of the building.  Rolling over the side to stay out of sight, he looked around to find himself alone on the rooftop.  Robin sighed and activated his radio, “When I said hide, I didn’t mean from me.”</p>
<p>The boys stuck their heads out from behind an air conditioning unit and smiled sheepishly at their team leader.  They stayed crouched as they duckwalked over to kneel next to Robin.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Rob,” Superboy said.</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “It’s okay.  I would rather you overreact to my warnings than underreact tonight.”</p>
<p>Mercury cocked his head, “Is underreact a word?”</p>
<p>Robin shrugged, “It is now.”</p>
<p>The boys stared over the side of the building for a minute before Superboy asked, “What are we looking at?”</p>
<p>Robin tried not to sigh as he pointed to the building directly across the street, then to one three buildings to the right, “There and there, snipers.  Lookouts armed with high-powered rifles.  Before we can get close, we have to deal with the guards.”</p>
<p>“How do we do that,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>“We don’t,” Robin said, turning to Superboy, “He does.”</p>
<p>“I does,” Superboy asked with surprise in his voice, “I mean, I do?”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “Yes, you.  Look at the guards.  They are watching the street, not the skyline.  You can attack them from above, quickly and silently.  Dive bomb, hit them hard and fast.”</p>
<p>“How hard,” Superboy asked nervously.</p>
<p>Robin tried to look Superboy in the eye through his mask, “I don’t want them waking up until they are safely in jail.  You can do this.”</p>
<p>Superboy nodded nervously and started to move before Robin grabbed his shoulder, “Wait.  There’s more.  First, if Scarecrow is smart, there will be two lookouts per rooftop, one watching this street, one watching the other street.  You need to hit the first one hard enough to knock him out, but fast enough to be able to take out the second one before he can raise an alarm.”</p>
<p>“I’m allowed to use my powers,” Superboy asked hopefully.</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “We aren’t playing laser tag anymore.  You absolutely must use your powers.  Show us what your Father has been teaching you, but wait until I report in to Batman.”</p>
<p>Superboy nodded as Robin switched to channel one on his radio, “Batman?”</p>
<p>“Go ahead,” the Dark Knight responded immediately.</p>
<p>“We’re two blocks south of the Federal Reserve Building.  I’ve spotted snipers on two buildings across the street, bracketing the back side of the Repository.  Don’t have eyes on, but I’m assuming there are more guards on the other side, plus on the ground.  I can hear heavy machinery, maybe a heavy truck.”</p>
<p>The line was silent for a second before Batman asked, “Do you have a plan?”</p>
<p>Robin took a breath, “Superboy is going to take the closest snipers from above so we can move closer.  We’ll see what the situation looks like once we can actually see the Reserve building.”</p>
<p>Batman sighed, “It’s a start.”</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes, “We’ve done more with less before.”</p>
<p>“Remember your rules for tonight, Robin,” Batman said firmly.</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “Team first, robbery second.  That’s why I had us come in two blocks to the south, instead of riding straight into the action.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Batman said.  “Gordon is going to dispatch officers to the Reserve, but it’s going to take time.  Report in when you move in closer.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “Out.”</p>
<p>Superboy looked markedly nervous, “Now what?”</p>
<p>“We move forward.  If you think you can’t do this, tell me now.  Like I said before, I won’t hold it against you.  I’m asking a lot of you right now, but I need you to tell me if it’s too much.”</p>
<p>Superboy took a deep breath, “I can do it.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded with a smirk, “I know you can.”</p>
<p>Robin held out his fist, and two more met his and held.  Robin looked between his teammates, “It’s time to be better than our parents.”</p>
<p>The boys turned back to look over their target zone to observe the sentries.  Robin looked through his monocular and smiled, “I was right.  There are two guards per rooftop.  They are making a circular patrol.  SB, how long will it take you to cross the street?”</p>
<p>Superboy looked at the distance before asking, “How fast can I go?”</p>
<p>“Keep it under the speed of sound.  The last thing we need is a sonic boom.”</p>
<p>Superboy nodded, “Two seconds, maybe a little less.”</p>
<p>Robin grinned, “Excellent.  Are you ready?”</p>
<p>Superboy nodded and looked like he was coiling his muscles, getting ready to spring.</p>
<p>Robin said, “Wait for my signal.  When I say go, you go as fast as you can and hit both of those guards, then get out of sight.  We will join you over there before you move to the second set of guards.”</p>
<p>“Got it,” Superboy said seriously.</p>
<p>Robin watched the guards move through another circuit before hissing, “Go!”</p>
<p>The word was barely out of Robin’s mouth before a gust of wind nearly sucked Robin and Mercury off the rooftop.  By the time Robin had adjusted his cape, Superboy came over the radio and crowed quietly, “I got ‘em.”</p>
<p>“Good.  Keep low, we’re on our way.”  Robin pulled out his grapple gun and told Mercury, “Hold on tight to me.”</p>
<p>Mercury grabbed on to Robin’s back as the older teen launched his line and jumped from the roof.  The line retracted as Mercury gasped deeply and held on tightly.  The speedster was cringing and shaking as Robin climbed to the top of the next roof.</p>
<p>Mercury dropped to the rooftop and hugged the solid surface, saying quietly, “Please don’t make me do that again.”</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “I’m sorry, Merc.  It was the fastest way across the street.  Why don’t you take the lookout post on the north wall?  Keep your radio on and let us know if any of the other guard posts spot us.”</p>
<p>Mercury nodded and moved off as Robin turned to Superboy, “Ready to do it again?”</p>
<p>Superboy nodded and started moving towards the north wall.  Robin reached out and grabbed Superboy’s cape, “No, this one first.  We clear this side of the street, then move north.”</p>
<p>Superboy blushed a bit, “Oh, I just thought, with Merc watching north…”</p>
<p>Robin patted Superboy’s shoulder, “He’s watching north to make sure no one spots us as we move east.”</p>
<p>Superboy sighed, “I’m not good at this strategy stuff, Rob.”</p>
<p>“You’re twelve years old.  It takes time.”</p>
<p>Robin and Superboy observed the guards on the next building.  Robin said, “This one will be harder, because they’re farther away.  You can do it, though.  I trust you.”</p>
<p>Superboy stared at Robin, “I don’t think you’ve ever said that to us before.”</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “If that’s true, then I’m sorry.  I trust the both of you more than I can express.  After everything that happened with my mother…Well, you guys get the idea.”</p>
<p>Robin walked over to Mercury and handed him the monocular, “Here.  You need to watch both buildings for unusual movement.  Will you be okay here alone?”</p>
<p>“Alone,” Mercury asked, startled.</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “SB is going to go over there and kick the crap out of some guards.  I’m going to follow him and help coordinate the next two assaults.  We’ll be on open comms the whole time.”</p>
<p>Mercury looked nervous, but said, “Okay.”</p>
<p>Robin held his gaze for another few seconds before saying, “Don’t worry, I’m sure there will be plenty of guards for all of us to hit when we reach the Reserve.”</p>
<p>Less than a minute later, Robin and Superboy crouched on the new rooftop, observing the action across the street.</p>
<p>“How are you doing, Merc,” Robin asked over the comm.</p>
<p>“Okay,” the younger teen replied, “No movement from across the street.  I don’t think they know we’re here yet.”</p>
<p>Robin was having the same thought, “I agree.  Switch back to channel one.  Let’s report in.”</p>
<p>All three boys adjusted their radios, and Robin said, “Batman, approach from the south is clear.  We haven’t been detected yet, and all three of us are fine.”</p>
<p>Robin thought he could hear a bit of surprise in Batman’s voice, “Good.  What does it look like there?”</p>
<p>Robin took a second to view the area, “They broke in through the wall in the alley on the other side of the building from City Hall.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean, through the wall,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>“Just what I said.  They have two dump trucks here.  It looks like they drove the first one through the wall.  They are loading the gold into the second truck.  It looks like they’re using the Reserve’s own equipment to move the gold.”</p>
<p>“How many people, Robin,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>Robin took another second, then said, “Merc, how many do you count?”</p>
<p>Mercury started in surprise, then said, “You told me to watch the rooftops, not the ground.”</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes, “And now I’m asking you to take a look at the target.  You have the monocular and a better vantage point.”</p>
<p>“Give me a second.”</p>
<p>The line was tensely silent for several seconds before Mercury said, “Okay, I’ve got ten guards on the ground.  Still have two snipers on the buildings.  I can’t tell how many people are doing the loading.  Different people keep walking in and out of the building.  It’s hard keeping track of who is who.”</p>
<p>“Do you have eyes on Scarecrow,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>Mercury sounded unsure as he said, “Um, no.  I don’t think so.”</p>
<p>Batman spoke sternly, “Robin, you three will not move until I approve of your plan of action.  Do you understand me?”</p>
<p>“We are moving, Father, but just to regroup.  I’ll call back with our plan, once we have one.”</p>
<p>“Keep your group out of sight,” Batman said.</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “Will do.  Robin out.”</p>
<p>Robin switched back to channel three and said, “Mercury, are you receiving me?”</p>
<p>“I’m here,” the speedster said glumly.</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “Stop sounding like that.  You didn’t do anything wrong.  I keep forgetting that this is still new for all of you.”</p>
<p>Mercury sighed, “Will I ever get better at this?”</p>
<p>“You <em>are</em> getting better at this,” Robin said.</p>
<p>“I’m never going to get to your level, though,” Mercury said sadly.</p>
<p>Robin smirked, “Well, no.  Aim for a target you can hit, Merc.  With practice and training, you will easily surpass your father.  If you want to get to my level, you started training about seven years too late.”</p>
<p>Mercury was quiet for a second, thinking, “Wait, I told you that I started training when I was seven.  That means…”</p>
<p>Robin interrupted, “That you needed to start as soon as you could move.  You have kind, loving parents, who would never subject you to that.  So, like I said, aim for a target you can hit, and become the best speedster you can be.”</p>
<p>“Huh,” Mercury said, thinking.</p>
<p>Robin gave him a second before saying, “Merc, regroup on the ground in the alley next to your building.  There is a fire escape to your right, use that to get to ground level.  We’ll be right there.”</p>
<p>“Got it,” Mercury said.</p>
<p>Robin turned to Superboy and said, “Time is of the essence, as is stealth.  I will probably never ask this again, but can you fly us to the rendezvous point?”</p>
<p>Superboy looked less than happy.  Robin wasn’t sure if it was about the request or something else.  Superboy spoke quietly, “You know, what you just said to Mercury was really mean and insulting.”</p>
<p>“What was,” Robin asked, confused.</p>
<p>“Did you have to shoot him down like that,” Superboy asked, “He’s trying.  We’re <em>all</em> trying.  We know we can’t keep up with you; you don’t have to rub it in our faces.”</p>
<p>Superboy grabbed a handful of Robin’s cape and lifted off from the rooftop.  Robin had to keep a tight hold on his shirt to keep it on his body as they quickly dropped into the right alley.</p>
<p>Robin stumbled as Superboy dropped him from seven feet above the ground.  “Hey!  That cape isn’t held on by a whole lot.”</p>
<p>“Don’t you have something to say to Mercury?”</p>
<p>Robin waved the boys over behind a dumpster and asked, “Mercury, did anything I say offend you?”</p>
<p>Mercury looked a bit nervous, “Well, kinda.  But…”</p>
<p>“But what,” Robin asked.</p>
<p>Mercury looked up, “It also made me want to work harder.  You know, to prove you wrong.”</p>
<p>Robin gave a small smile, “I hope you do prove me wrong one day, and I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.  This isn’t the time to get into all of this, but I will say this.  You both know my history.  You both know everything that had to happen to turn me into what I am today.  Why would any of you ever want to be like me?  Your role models need to be the people wearing the uniforms like yours, not someone who was given the task of teaching you.  I don’t try to be Superman, because I know I am unable to attain that level.  I can, however, approach Batman’s level.  Neither of you can be Batman, but you can be Superman, and you can be Flash.  So, like I said, don’t aim for a mark you can’t hit.”</p>
<p>Mercury and Superboy looked at each other for a long second before Superboy said, “You should have put it that way the first time, Rob.  That was…”</p>
<p>Superboy trailed off, and Mercury picked up his train of thought, “Freakin’ inspiring.  I never thought of it that way.  Come on, let’s take these guys down.”</p>
<p>Superboy nudged Robin lightly.  Robin held out his fist again, and both boys bumped his again.  Robin nodded, and said, “Stay in the shadows while we look this over.  Merc, stay behind us.  Your orange jumpsuit is a bit bright.”</p>
<p>Mercury smirked and patted the lightning bolt logo on his chest.  Robin’s jaw dropped as the bright orange faded to a dull gray.  “How about that?  Stealth mode.”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “Okay, that’s just not fair.  Why didn’t you tell me your uniform could do that?”</p>
<p>Mercury cocked his head, “Wait, your uniform <em>can’t</em> do that?”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head slowly, a small seed of jealousy forming in the back of his mind.  <em>I’ll have to report this to Father.  I think my whole team needs a new wardrobe that can do that.</em>  “Come on.”</p>
<p>The boys edged nearer to the end of the alley, staying in the shadows as much as possible.  Robin started appraising the scene, and as he did, a slow smile spread across his face.  Normally, Robin would complete his analysis silently, but tonight he spoke just loud enough for his companions to hear.  “Okay, you were right, Merc.  There are ten guards out front, armed with high-powered rifles.  Can’t tell how many people are in the building; the second truck is blocking the opening in the wall.”</p>
<p>Robin gasped, and Superboy called him on it, “What?  What is it?”</p>
<p>Robin took a deep breath, “There’s Scarecrow.”</p>
<p>“Where,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>Robin nodded, raising his chin, “The guy in the brown suit, talking to the truck driver.”</p>
<p>“He doesn’t look like much of a threat,” Mercury said.</p>
<p>Robin turned to face his friends, “That’s just what he wants you to think.  It’s true, he’s not a fighter.  He doesn’t have to be.  His toxins and concoctions more than make up for it.  I want you two to remember our very first training, during the war.  Safety margins, remember?  Tonight, I want you to opt for safe by a mile.  You can’t be controlled if he can’t get his chemicals into you.”</p>
<p>Mercury asked nervously, “How does he get his chemicals into you?”</p>
<p>“Aerosols, sprays, liquids.  He hides sprayers up his sleeves.  If he points his arms at you, get away fast.  Oh, he also wears a burlap sack over his head.  If you see that, get away fast.”</p>
<p>Both boys nodded shakily as Robin turned back to the crime scene.  He looked up at the surrounding buildings several times before saying, “Hey Merc, hand me that piece of cardboard behind you.”</p>
<p>Mercury looked behind him and found a piece of cardboard on the ground, which had obviously been ripped off of a box and missed the dumpster.  He handed it to Robin, who held it out in front of his face and looked at the edge.  Robin angled the cardboard in different directions before turning with a smile, “I’ve got a plan.”</p>
<p>“What’s with the cardboard,” Superboy asked.</p>
<p>Robin handed it over and said, “Sight lines.  The snipers don’t have an angle to cover the crime scene.  They are on the wrong buildings.  They aren’t even looking in the right direction.  They’re watching out, instead of in.  We have a blind spot all the way up to the alley.”</p>
<p>Superboy held up the cardboard and smiled as he saw what Robin was talking about.  “I get it.  Have a look, Merc.”</p>
<p>“That’s a big oversight,” Mercury said after taking his own look.</p>
<p>Robin knelt down and began drawing on the cardboard, “We’re going to have to split up for this to work.  SB, you okay with that?”</p>
<p>“I guess.  Why ask me,” the youth asked.</p>
<p>“Because you are going to be alone in the building, and we have no idea how many henchmen are in there.”</p>
<p>Superboy swallowed nervously, “I can do it.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “I know you can.  Merc, you’re going to be outside, with me.  I’m going to need your speed for this to work.”</p>
<p>Mercury nodded, “I’m with you.  What’s the plan?”</p>
<p>“Listen closely.  I’ll explain it to you and Batman at the same time.”  Robin activated his radio and said, “Batman, this is Robin.”</p>
<p>“I’m aware of that,” Batman said, “Do you have a plan?”</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes, “Yes, Batman.  Superboy will go into the Reserve and take down the loaders and internal guards while Mercury and I take out the external guards, truck drivers, and Scarecrow.”</p>
<p>“What about the snipers,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>Robin smirked, “They don’t have an angle on the crime scene from their current vantage points.  The west facing sniper will have to move to the next building to get an angle on us, and the east facing sniper is stationed on the far side of City Hall.  He’ll have to come all the way to the Reserve to get us.”</p>
<p>The line was silent for a long second before Batman asked, “Estimated attack time?”</p>
<p>Robin looked across the street for a second before saying, “Three minutes, or less.”</p>
<p>They could hear Batman’s sigh before he said, “Superboy, Mercury, how do you feel about this plan?”</p>
<p>“I’m good with it,” Mercury said.</p>
<p>“Superboy,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>Superboy looked at Robin before saying, “I’m nervous, but we can do this.”</p>
<p>“Okay, boys.  Make it happen.  Keep open comms with each other all the time.  Call for help if you need it.  I’m finished down here.  I’ll make my way to your position.”</p>
<p>Robin cocked his head, “How long, Father?”</p>
<p>Batman thought for a second, “Half an hour, at least.  I’m at the South River.”</p>
<p>“Where’s that,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “The farthest point south in Gotham City.”</p>
<p>“Gordon assured me he’s trying to get officers to your position,” Batman said.</p>
<p>Robin sighed, “We’re on our own, then.  We’ll have this wrapped up by the time you get here, Batman.”</p>
<p>Batman sounded nervous to Robin’s ear, “You claimed three minutes attack time.  How long to get set up?”</p>
<p>Robin thought for a second, “Three minutes.”</p>
<p>“I want a report in ten minutes time, Robin.  No excuses if you’re late.”</p>
<p>“Understood, Father.”</p>
<p>Batman gave an unseen nod, “Get to it.  The clock’s ticking.”</p>
<p>The boys switched their radio back to channel three, and Robin said, “Okay, here’s what we do.  SB you fly in and drop these.”  Robin handed over a handful of smoke pellets from his utility belt, “They’re smoke bombs.  Drop them just outside the entrance to the Reserve.  Try to get a spread, so the entire hole is obscured.  The smoke will dissipate in two minutes.  You have that long to take down everyone inside the Reserve.  Move fast and hit hard.  Make sure you get everyone.  Don’t try to figure out which side they’re on.  The police can figure that out later.  Merc, you and I will take the guards out here, the drivers, and Scarecrow.  You take the first six in line.  I’ll take the last four, the two drivers and Scarecrow.  We have to move fast.  We have the same two minutes that Superboy has.  We can get this done before the smoke dissipates.  Remember, move fast and hit hard.  These men have to stay down.  SB, when you fly over, don’t go any higher than the roof of that building to the left of the Reserve.  Any higher and you will be visible to the sniper.  Any questions?”</p>
<p>“Do I have to do anything special with these,” Superboy asked, holding out the handful of smoke pellets.</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “Just throw them at the ground.  It’s okay to fly through the smoke, just don’t breathe too much of it.  Anything else?”</p>
<p>“Am I carrying you across the street,” Mercury asked.</p>
<p>Robin pulled his grapple gun and said, “No need.  We actually want them to see me.  If they see me, they will be looking for Batman.  They won’t expect you two.  That gives us the advantage.  Ready?”</p>
<p>The boys nodded nervously.  Trying to hide his sigh, Robin held out his fist again.  The three-way fist bump seemed to help the younger boys.  Robin nodded with a smirk and turned.  Aiming his grapple, Robin said, “Go.”</p>
<p>Robin fired his grapple, but by the time the hook found purchase, he was alone.  By the time he was swept across the street, the smoke pellets had obscured the hole in the wall, with the exception of a quickly filling circle, which Robin assumed Superboy flew through to enter the building.</p>
<p>A cry of, “It’s the Bat,” was quickly silenced as Mercury laid out his first guard.</p>
<p>Knowing his enemy’s cowardly ways, Robin pulled his blunt, heavy batarang and launched himself towards Scarecrow.  The villain only had a second to look up before the three-pound steel projectile connected with his forehead.  Scarecrow hit the ground hard.</p>
<p>Robin rolled through his landing and set the truck driver as his next target.  There was shock evident on the man’s face as he started to yank the door of the truck cab closed.  He never made it.  Robin ripped the door out of the man’s hand a second before he pulled the driver from the truck.  The man was heavy, and didn’t move as easily as Robin had hoped.</p>
<p>The man stumbled into Robin as his feet hit the ground awkwardly.  Robin pushed him back against the truck and lifted a fist to knock out the driver.  Gunshots rang out as the guards caught on to the attack and started doing their job.  Bullets plinked off of the truck until one ricochet buried itself deep in the truck driver’s side.  The fat man collapsed to the ground, moaning in pain, and Robin sought cover as he moved to find an attacking position.</p>
<p>Robin pulled a batarang from his belt and flung it at the closest guard, then cringed as it hit home.  Robin had aimed for the man’s shoulder, to try to disarm him.  Unfortunately, the man was lifting his rifle to take a shot at Robin at the same time.  The sharpened steel shape deflected off of the man’s rifle and into his face.  Blood spurted as the man dropped to the pavement with a sickening cry.</p>
<p>Mercury’s voice came over the radio, “Dude, why did you do that?  Are you trying to kill these guys?”</p>
<p>Robin pulled his staff as he ran for the next guard, “I wasn’t aiming for his face.  He moved.  It was supposed to hit his shoulder.  Keep it up, only a few more left.”</p>
<p>The last four guards standing had regrouped and were covering each other’s backs in a circle.  Robin stayed behind one of the trucks, looking for an opening.  Mercury was around the corner, looking for the same opening.</p>
<p>Mercury called over the radio, “I’ve got nothing, Rob.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “Stay where you are, I’ve got a stupid idea.”</p>
<p>Robin stood up and walked out of cover with his hands held out to his side.  One guard spotted Robin and called out, “Freeze, or we’ll shoot!”</p>
<p>Robin stopped, but called out, “It’s over.  Your boss is unconscious and will be back in Arkham before midnight.  If you want to go down with him, then by all means, keep acting like security guards.  If going to jail isn’t on your schedule for the evening, then I’m going to give you one chance.  Drop your guns and leave now.  I promise, no one will follow you, no one will chase you.  The police won’t be informed of your involvement here tonight.  This offer ends in five, four, three…”</p>
<p>“Okay,” one guard called out as he dropped his rifle, “Screw this, I’m out.”</p>
<p>Robin nodded, “Go northeast for three blocks.  After that, I don’t care where you go.  Just don’t come around here.”</p>
<p>Three more rifles hit the pavement as the guards silently made their way out of the alley.</p>
<p>Robin let out a sigh of relief.  <em>I can’t believe that worked.</em>  “Let them go, Merc,” Robin said over the radio.  “SB, what is your status?”</p>
<p>Superboy landed next to Robin and said, “That was fun.  I got them all in there.”</p>
<p>Mercury appeared next to Robin.  Robin turned both boys around and looked them over for injuries.  “Neither of you are hurt?”</p>
<p>Both boys shook their head, causing another relieved sigh to escape Robin.  “Good.  I’m proud of you both.  Look at what we did.  We stopped this with no injuries to us, no fatalities to them, and all under four minutes.  Let’s report in, so we can go home.”</p>
<p>The boys switched back to channel one, and Robin said, “Batman, area is secure.”</p>
<p>Nightwing came over the line with a surprised exclamation, “You got him?”</p>
<p>“Why do you sound so surprised,” Robin asked, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>“Any injuries,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>“Not to us,” Robin said with a pleased smile on his face.</p>
<p>Batman sounded happy, which surprised Superboy and Mercury, “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.  Gordon said he will have officers there in five minutes.  Secure the scene until they arrive, then you three can head home.”</p>
<p>“Understood, Batman.”</p>
<p>The radio clicked off, and Mercury asked, “Not even a good job, or a well done?”</p>
<p>Robin smirked, “From Batman?  You don’t know him very well.  Father might say all of that, but not Batman.  Batman will make sure your parents know what a good job you did, though, as will I.”</p>
<p>“What do you think happened to the snipers,” Superboy asked.</p>
<p>Robin’s eyes widened under his mask, “I forgot about them.  Do you feel comfortable taking a look on your own?  There’s no way they didn’t hear all the shooting out here.”</p>
<p>Superboy smiled and rhymed, “No prob, Rob.”</p>
<p>Superboy shot off into the air as Robin shook his head, “Come on, Merc.  Let’s work on disarming the guards.  I’m going to tie up Scarecrow.  Make sure the guards are disarmed…and don’t touch the gold.”</p>
<p>Approaching cautiously, Robin found Scarecrow moaning and starting to regain consciousness.  <em>Hmm, I guess I didn’t hit him hard enough.  </em>Robin picked up his weighted batarang as Scarecrow opened his eyes.</p>
<p>Robin said, “Don’t move, Mr. Crane, unless you want another headache.”</p>
<p>“How,” the man gasped, “How did you know?”</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes, “You hired people who couldn’t keep their mouths shut.  We know you tainted the water supply in Crime Alley.”</p>
<p>Crane looked around warily, “Isn’t this usually Batman’s job?”</p>
<p>“To deal with you,” Robin scoffed as he shook his head, “You’re a waste of his time.  My partners and I took down this whole operation you had trying to rob the Reserve in less than five minutes.  If you were any more incompetent, we would have let the local police handle this.”</p>
<p>Enraged, Scarecrow lifted his arm to spray Fear Toxin at Robin.  Anticipating the move, Robin slammed the heavy batarang into Scarecrow’s temple, rendering him unconscious.</p>
<p>“Nice try, Mr. Crane, but good night.”</p>
<p>Robin removed the chemical sprayers from Crane’s sleeves as Superboy came over the radio.  “They’re gone.”</p>
<p>“Gone,” Robin asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, there’s no one on either rooftop.”</p>
<p>Robin shrugged, “They must have run off when the shooting started.  Okay, come back here, SB.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Superboy said from next to Robin.</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, just barely stopping himself from jumping at the boy’s sudden appearance.  “I’m never going to get used to that,” Robin mumbled under his breath.</p>
<p>Superboy still heard the statement.</p>
<p>
  <em>Twenty Minutes Later…</em>
</p>
<p>Batman pulled up to the south side of the Federal Reserve, and was surprised at the lack of activity.  Leaving the Batmobile, Batman approached Robin, who was leaning against a wall.  Mercury and Superboy were sitting next to the Boy Wonder.</p>
<p>“Why are you boys still here,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>Robin glanced over and said, “Because Gordon didn’t send enough officers, and they only arrived a couple minutes ago.”</p>
<p>Batman grunted and looked around the crime scene.  Three patrolmen were rounding up barely conscious henchmen, while two more officers stood, aiming their sidearms at the unconscious Scarecrow.  Batman rolled his eyes under his cowl, then did a quick head count.</p>
<p>“You said ten guards out here.  I only count six.  Have the police taken anyone from the scene yet?”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “No, they’re waiting on a prison van.”</p>
<p>“You let four get away,” Batman asked, “That’s not like you, Robin.”</p>
<p>Mercury stood up, “It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, Batman.  Robin talked them into giving up.”</p>
<p>“Then, where are they,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>“I made them a deal,” Robin said, “It took me too long to handle Scarecrow and the driver.  By the time I got around to my guards, they had regrouped in a circle and were covering each other.  We couldn’t attack without leaving ourselves open to gunfire.  So, I reasoned with them.  I told them we already captured Scarecrow, and if they didn’t want to go to jail, they would drop their guns and walk away.  I gave them until a count of five.  They gave up on three.  I told them they got a free pass on tonight as long as they left and stayed gone, at least for tonight.”</p>
<p>Batman saw his son in a new light for a second before saying, “Good job, son.  Good job, all of you.”</p>
<p>Superboy leaned over to Robin and whispered, “I thought you said he wouldn’t say that.”</p>
<p>Approaching footsteps caused Batman and Robin to turn and watch Commissioner Gordon approach.  The older man said, “So, another capture for Batman and Robin…and friends?”</p>
<p>Batman looked at the boys before saying, “No.  This was a capture for Robin and his team.”</p>
<p>“His team,” Gordon said with confusion in his tone.</p>
<p>Robin motioned for the boys to stand up and come closer, “My team.  At least, some of them.  Commissioner Gordon, this is Superboy and Mercury.  They deserve the real credit tonight.”</p>
<p>The two younger boys blushed at Robin’s explanation.</p>
<p>Gordon turned to Batman and said, “Surely you don’t…”</p>
<p>Batman interrupted, “I didn’t get here until a couple minutes before you did.  They were on their own.”</p>
<p>It took a minute for Gordon to realize that Batman wasn’t joking.  “Amazing,” the man said quietly before turning to the boys, “Thank you.  You solved a big problem for the city tonight.  Is this going to be a normal thing now?”</p>
<p>Robin shook his head, “No, Commissioner.  My friends were just visiting from out of town when a riot ruined our evening plans.”</p>
<p><em>I swear I know his voice from somewhere other than Robin,</em> Jim thought.  “I bet you had something much more fun planned than stopping a major robbery.”</p>
<p>Superboy smiled up at the grey-haired man, “This was pretty fun, too.”</p>
<p>Batman spoke up, “Do you need anything else, Jim?”</p>
<p>A squad car and a prison transport van pulled up to the scene, and Gordon said, “I think we can take it from here.  Thank you again, boys.”</p>
<p>“Boys, let’s go,” Batman said, turning away from the alley and walking into the night.  Superboy and Mercury had to jog to catch up to Batman and Robin.</p>
<p>On the other side of the street, Batman asked, “Robin, where’s your motorcycle?”</p>
<p>“Another block south,” Robin said, “Are you headed home?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Batman said.</p>
<p>Robin turned to his friends and said, “Go with Batman.  I know you both are tired.  I’ll be right behind you.”</p>
<p>As tired as they were, and as much as they didn’t want to separate, Mercury and Superboy perked up at the prospect of a ride in the Batmobile.  Robin jogged off to retrieve his bike as the Batmobile sped off into the night.</p>
<p>The car was moving for less than a minute before the communicator chirped for attention.  Batman pressed a button and said, “Go ahead, Cave.”</p>
<p>Alfred’s voice came back, “Master Batman, you have had two very insistent callers over the cave phones.”</p>
<p>Batman winced internally, “Local calls?”</p>
<p>Alfred got the inference, “I’m afraid not, sir.”</p>
<p><em>I had hoped we could at least get home before Clark and Wally called.</em>  Batman could hear a beep in the background and said, “Put whoever that is through.”</p>
<p>“At once, sir.”</p>
<p>A soft click sounded, then a concerned voice filled the car.  “Hello?”</p>
<p>“Flash,” Batman said evenly.</p>
<p>“Don’t ‘Flash’ me,” the man said angrily, not realizing the joke he hadn’t intended to make, “Where’s my son?”</p>
<p>Mercury spoke up, “I’m right here, Dad.”</p>
<p>Flash released a massive sigh, “Thank god.  Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“I’m fine, Dad,” the boy said, “This was fun.”</p>
<p>Batman could imagine Flash’s eyes popping out of his head, “You took the boys into a riot, Batman?”</p>
<p>Batman shook his head, “No.  Robin did.”</p>
<p>“You left the kids alone,” Flash shouted.</p>
<p>“They were never alone,” Batman said calmly, “I had them on comms the whole time, and Robin was never more than one hundred feet from either of them.”</p>
<p>Flash was still mad, “Robin’s good, but he’s fifteen.  You expect a fifteen-year-old to be able to handle a riot?”</p>
<p>“The boys seemed to do just fine.  There were no injuries to any of them.  How did you even find out about the riot?”</p>
<p>Flash snorted, “I’m on monitoring duty tonight.  Even if I wasn’t, your riot is the talk of the news all up and down the east coast.”</p>
<p>“Have they covered the part where the boys had a major role in stopping the true threat behind the riot,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>“Why were they out there at all,” Flash asked, “Where are Nightwing and the Reds?”</p>
<p>Batman was starting to get tired of his motives being questioned, “They are still out, mopping up the last of the rioters.  I assigned the boys to the safest location I could, while still having them help out.  The riot turned into a cover for a major heist.  The boys stopped the heist.  I’m taking them home now.”</p>
<p>Flash considered what Batman was telling him, “I’ll be there in five minutes.”</p>
<p>Batman shook his head, “We’re still half an hour out.  Don’t waste your time, Flash.”</p>
<p>“Fine, I’ll be there in a half an hour.”</p>
<p>Flash disconnected the line.  The car was quiet for a minute before Mercury said, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Dad that mad before.”</p>
<p>Robin, who had listened to the whole conversation over the radio, said, “He’s not mad, Merc.  He’s scared.  Scared he might have lost you tonight.”</p>
<p>“Robin, what’s your position,” Batman asked.</p>
<p>“Your six o’clock, about half a block back.”</p>
<p>Batman nodded, “Good.  Thank you for staying out of that conversation.”</p>
<p>Robin rolled his eyes, “I don’t actually like being yelled at, Father.  He didn’t need to know I was listening.”</p>
<p>Superboy spoke softly from the back seat of the Batmobile, “Can’t wait to see how my Dad takes the news.”</p>
<p>Mercury nudged the younger boy with a smile, “I don’t know if I want to hear that one, either.  We didn’t have to tell my Dad that I got shot.”</p>
<p><em>I forgot about that,</em> Batman thought, <em>this won’t be fun</em>.</p>
<p>Flash and Superman were waiting in the Bat Cave when the Batmobile and R-Cycle pulled to a halt on the turntable.  Batman turned to the boys and said, “You two better go and let them look you over.  Talk to them, let them see that you are alright, then go and get cleaned up and changed with Robin.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” both boys said nervously as Batman opened the car’s canopy.</p>
<p>The younger boys hopped out and ran for their fathers, which didn’t surprise Bruce.</p>
<p>Damian was standing next to the Batmobile with his mask in hand as Bruce pulled off his cowl and climbed from the car.  Talking quietly, Damian said, “They’re not spending the night after all, are they?”</p>
<p>Bruce shrugged, “I think the jury is still out on that one.  If either of them had come home injured, I think it would be a long time before you saw your friends again.”</p>
<p>Bruce and Damian watched as Clark pulled up his son’s shirt to look for any sign of injury from the gunshot wound.</p>
<p>Bruce placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “Where was Jai when Jon was shot?  Where were you?”</p>
<p>“Jai was behind a dumpster,” Damian said, “He was my secret weapon.  The mob didn’t know about him until we sprang our attack.  I was standing next to Jon when it happened.  Believe me, that was the last thing I wanted to see.”</p>
<p>Bruce’s hand moved up to the back of Damian’s neck, and the teen was surprised that his Father had removed his gauntlet, “You three did well tonight.  I’m proud of you, son.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Dad,” Damian said softly, leaning back into Bruce as they watched the younger boys interacting with their superparents.</p>
<p>After a minute, Bruce sighed and said, “So, shall we go and face the music?”</p>
<p>Damian matched the sigh, “Let’s go see how much trouble I’m in.”</p>
<p>As they approached, Bruce squeezed Damian’s shoulder and said, “You aren’t in trouble.  I am.”</p>
<p>When they were close enough, Wally asked, “How much of a plan did you have out there tonight, Damian?”</p>
<p>Damian shrugged, “Enough of a plan to complete our mission.”</p>
<p>Bruce tried to hide his sigh, “They ran each plan by me before they acted.”</p>
<p>“I still don’t like this,” Wally grumbled.</p>
<p>“I needed all the help I could get tonight,” Bruce said.  “I placed the boys outside of the main riot area specifically to keep them safe.”</p>
<p>“That move placed them in the line of fire, though, didn’t it,” Clark asked.</p>
<p>“You know how things change in the field,” Bruce said, “you both do.”</p>
<p>Damian spoke up, “I didn’t force them into the field tonight.  I encouraged them to stay here.  There would have been no hard feelings and there was no peer pressure for them to come.  I made sure they knew exactly what we were walking into before we made a move.  They decided to come anyway.”</p>
<p>“You really thought they would say no,” Clark asked, hiding a bemused smile.</p>
<p>“No,” Damian said, shaking his head, “I’m glad they decided to come with, though.  I couldn’t have completed my assignment without them.  They exceeded all expectations tonight.  You should be proud of them.”</p>
<p>Damian noticed both Clark and Wally squeeze their sons’ shoulders in support.  Clark finally smiled, “We <em>are </em>proud of them.  Your team’s first big score.  You should be proud of yourselves.”</p>
<p>Damian nodded, “I’m proud of my team.  They did great.”</p>
<p>Jon spoke up, “Your plan was awesome, D.  Jai and I couldn’t have come up with that.”</p>
<p>Damian shrugged, “My plan wouldn’t have worked if I couldn’t trust you two to carry out your parts.”</p>
<p>Clark, Wally, and Bruce all caught each other’s eyes.  The identical thought was running through all of their heads.  <em>Did Damian just say he trusts his friends?  This team works.</em></p>
<p>Bruce smiled and nodded at the two adults before saying, “Boys, why don’t you three go get cleaned up and changed.”</p>
<p>Seeing which way things were leaning, Damian nodded and said, “Come on, guys.  Let’s hit the showers before the others get home.  Don’t want them using all of the hot water.”</p>
<p>The boys walked away, and Jai asked, “Okay, who gets to go first?”</p>
<p>“We’ll all go at the same time,” Damian said.</p>
<p>Jai and Jon looked at him strangely for a second before Damian said, “We have four showers down here.  I wasn’t suggesting we all share one.”</p>
<p>Jon and Jai both sighed in relief, and Jon said, “What about our clothes?  My pajamas are upstairs.”</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “Alfred will have brought them down while we were out.  There will be towels on the bench, and soap and shampoo in the showers.  Pick one and go for it.”</p>
<p>The boys walked through the locker room and into the bathroom.  Jon and Jai looked around, impressed with the space.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know all of this was back here,” Jai said.</p>
<p>“It’s a cave of wonders in here, Jai,” Damian said as he sat on the bench and began unlacing his boots.</p>
<p>Jai spoke nervously, “Um, there are no doors on these shower stalls.  No shower curtains, either.”</p>
<p>“Nope,” Damian said distractedly as he pulled various bits of his uniform off.</p>
<p>“Well, what are we supposed to do,” Jai asked.</p>
<p>“You’re supposed to take a shower,” Damian said.</p>
<p>Jai and Jon both looked over at the older teen, then immediately averted their eyes to stare at the ground.</p>
<p>“He was <em>so</em> naked,” Jon mumbled to Jai.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I needed to see that,” Jai replied softly.</p>
<p>The water turned on in one of the showers, and the younger boys looked up again.  Damian stuck his head out of the shower stall and said kindly, “Something Father and I had to learn together a couple years ago.  It’s only a big deal if you make it a big deal.  Now, hurry up and shower.  Alfred gives us cookies after patrol.”</p>
<p>Jon thought for a second before pulling his shirt off.  “It’s only a big deal if you make it a big deal.  That is a good lesson.  We’re all friends here.”</p>
<p>Jai’s jaw dropped along with Jon’s pants as the youngest boy made his way into a shower stall.</p>
<p>Still only hearing two showers running, Damian called out, “Cookies, Jai.  Cookies.”</p>
<p>The adults in the cave smiled as they heard the third shower turn on in the locker room.  Wally shook his head, “That last shower is Jai, I guarantee it.  I remember how uncomfortable I was the first time I showered down here, and Jai takes after me a little too much at times.”</p>
<p>Bruce gave a satisfied smile and said, “The boys really did a good job tonight.  They’ve come a long way in the past two years.”</p>
<p>Clark nodded, “They really have.  Do you think they can start taking more than just monitoring shifts now, Bruce?”</p>
<p>Bruce thought for a second, “We did promise them missions after the incident at Mount Justice.”</p>
<p>Wally smirked, “The Final Exam, you mean?  That’s what the kids have started calling it.”</p>
<p>Bruce nodded, “I’ve heard that, too.  We can start with some low risk missions.”  Bruce then smirked and said, “Don’t let on that I told you this, but Damian’s first concern when we arrived home and saw you two here was whether you were going to let the boys spend the night.”</p>
<p>Clark smiled, “If there were injuries, I don’t know if we would have let them.  Should we go, Wally?”</p>
<p>Bruce shook his head as Dick, Jason, and Tim arrived in the cave, “At least wait until they get out of the shower and say goodnight to them.”</p>
<p>Dick walked up to the adults and asked, “Are the kids okay?”</p>
<p>“They’re fine, Dick,” Clark said.</p>
<p>Wally nodded, “Just had to check on them.  This was a big deal tonight.”</p>
<p>“Are they in trouble,” Tim asked.</p>
<p>Clark shook his head with a smile, “No injuries, no trouble.”</p>
<p>Three pajama-clad youths padded up to the meeting at the Bat Computer.  Damian caught the pleased looks on the adult’s faces and ventured, “We are going to head up and raid the cookie stash, unless you needed us for anything.”</p>
<p>“That sounds like a good idea,” Bruce said.</p>
<p>Clark waved Jon over.  The boy approached and Clark bent down to kiss his son on the forehead.  “Have fun and behave, Jonno.  You did good tonight.  I’ll see you Sunday.”</p>
<p>Wally walked over to Jai and hugged his kid, “Proud of you, you little speedster.  I’m kind of jealous that you get Alfred’s cookies now.  That’s the best part of a patrol with these guys.  Have fun, Jai.”</p>
<p>Dick was staring at Bruce, wondering if their father would have similar words for his son.  Damian turned towards the stairs and waved over his shoulder, “Good night, Father.  Come on, you two.”</p>
<p>“You going to save some cookies for us,” Jason called out.</p>
<p>“You know the rules, Todd,” Damian called back.</p>
<p>“Good job tonight, boys,” Bruce called to the departing youths, “I’m proud of you.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Upstairs…</em>
</p>
<p>It pleased Alfred’s old heart to see his youngest charge smiling with friends as they sat at the kitchen island and did their best to empty the cookie tin.  Alfred had two thoughts on his mind, and he wasn’t sure which one to address first.  At the rate the cookies were disappearing, Alfred was leaning towards starting another batch.  The second thing on his mind was far more personal, and Alfred decided it could wait until his young charge wasn’t playing host.</p>
<p>As Alfred pulled out the ingredients for a new batch of cookies, he found he didn’t have to bring up his second point.  It was addressed for him.</p>
<p>Jon took a sip of his milk and started in nervously, “Um, Damian?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Damian asked hesitantly.</p>
<p>“Earlier, at the mall, when we were getting ice cream, you and Uncle Dick were talking.  Did you two make up?”</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “No, we didn’t.”</p>
<p>Alfred froze in place.  <em>You both assured me you were working on it.  That wasn’t a lie to spare my feelings, was it?</em></p>
<p>“Well, why not,” Jon asked.</p>
<p>“Why did you sit next to him in the truck, if you aren’t getting along,” Jai asked.</p>
<p>“We’re trying,” Damian said, “but the things we need to discuss couldn’t be discussed in public.”</p>
<p>Jon asked, “Are you two going to try again, now that you aren’t in public?”</p>
<p>Damian took a breath, “We should, but I’m not going to ignore you guys while you’re here.”</p>
<p>Jon reached out hesitantly, then placed a hand on Damian’s arm, “Some things are more important.  We have all day tomorrow, and most of Sunday.  You and Uncle Dick need to work this out.  Jai and I are just going to bed, anyway.”</p>
<p>Alfred smiled at the conversation being held behind him as he mixed a batch of cookie dough.  <em>I’m so glad you are allowing your friends into something so personal as your conflict with Master Dick.  You’ve grown so much, Master Damian.</em></p>
<p>Damian looked down, “If Dick and I do this, you two won’t see me for the rest of the night.”</p>
<p>Jai smiled, “That’s okay.  Your bed is big, but it’s a bit tight with all three of us in there.”</p>
<p>Damian turned to look at Jai, “Wait, my bed?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Jai said, “Your guest room makes weird noises.  Are you sure it isn’t haunted?”</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “You are ready to jump in the same bed with Jon and I, but you were nervous taking a shower in the same room?”</p>
<p>Jai blushed, “None of us are going to be sleeping naked.”</p>
<p>Damian rolled his eyes, “I don’t understand what you two have against the guest room.”</p>
<p>“It’s haunted,” both boys said at the same time.</p>
<p>“It’s not haunted,” Damian said in an exasperated tone.  Damian released a breath before saying, “Thanks, you guys.  You are true friends.  You’re right, this needs to end tonight.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Later…</em>
</p>
<p>Dick and Tim walked upstairs to go to bed and found an unholy racket assaulting their ears.  Tim leaned over to speak in Dick’s ear as they reached the top of the stairs.</p>
<p>“What the hell is that?”</p>
<p>Dick smiled, “That’s a sound I haven’t heard in a while.  That is the snore of an exhausted speedster.”</p>
<p>The brothers looked down the hall to see Damian’s bedroom door standing open several inches.  It was the source of the noise.</p>
<p>Tim shook his head, “I feel so sorry for Linda.  She has three of those at home.”</p>
<p>“Don’t tell the kids this,” Dick said, “but Wally had the walls of Jai and Irey’s bedrooms soundproofed.  It helped a lot.”  Dick nudged Tim and said, “You have to pass the room on your way to bed.  Close the door on your way by.”</p>
<p>Tim nodded as he walked off and thought, <em>I should make sure Damian isn’t going to smother Jai in the night, too.</em></p>
<p>Tim stuck his head into the bedroom and smiled at the sight.  Jon and Jai were both sound asleep in Damian’s bed, and it was obvious that they were competing to see who could snore the loudest.  Tim shook his head as he closed the bedroom door and turned to head for his own room.</p>
<p>Tim stopped suddenly as he reached for his own doorknob, and thought, <em>Where’s Damian?  Don’t worry about it.  He probably went somewhere to avoid the noise.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Meanwhile…</em>
</p>
<p>Dick opened the door to his bedroom and froze at the sight before him.  His bed, which the man had been looking forward to using, wasn’t as empty as he thought it would be.</p>
<p>“Little D?  What’s going on?”</p>
<p>Damian stared seriously as Dick entered the room, “Close the door, Dick.  We won’t be able to hear each other, with Jon and Jai snoring like that.”</p>
<p>Dick closed the door and approached the bed slowly, “If we need to hear each other, does that mean we will be talking, instead of yelling?”</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “I’m willing if you are.  We started earlier tonight, but the mall was the wrong place for our conversation.  This needs to end, tonight.  I’m tired of hating you, Dick.”</p>
<p>Dick felt tears welling up in his eyes.  The comment felt like a slap in the face, “You hate me, Damian?”</p>
<p>Damian nodded, “I’m justified.  You hurt me, Dick.  You took the time over the last six months to call everyone, except me.  Now that I think back, it’s obvious that everyone was trying to hide that fact from me.  You explained why you didn’t call, and I can understand that.  That doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt, though.”</p>
<p>“I can only apologize so many times, Damian,” Dick said as he sat next to his brother on the bed, “I didn’t want to be away.  I missed you so much, but you don’t understand.  Pop was the closest thing I had left to actual, real family.  I don’t think I ever told you this, so I’ll tell you now.  Just like you, I never met my Dad’s parents.  They died when my Dad was a teenager.  Pop Haly adopted my Dad.  Not legally, but in every other way possible.  I’m not just being nice or familiar when I call Pop my grandfather; he really is.”</p>
<p>“I’m not questioning why we had to go,” Damian said, eyeing his brother, “I’m still unclear on why you had to stay.”</p>
<p>“No one explained it to you,” Dick asked, surprised.</p>
<p>Damian looked down at his crossed legs, “I, kinda, didn’t let them.  I was expecting to hear it from you.  I thought I deserved that much.  As the months passed, I started to realize that explanation wasn’t coming, and I started to hurt more.”</p>
<p>“Why did you hurt, Damian,” Dick asked softly.</p>
<p>“Because I was cutting out a piece of my own heart,” Damian whispered.</p>
<p>Dick wanted to hug his brother so bad, but he wasn’t sure if they were at that point of acceptance yet.</p>
<p>Damian sighed before looking up at Dick, “You know, you broke the first promise you ever made to me.”</p>
<p>Dick had to think before he finally asked, “I’ve made a lot of promises to you over the years.  Which one was the first?  Which one did I break?”</p>
<p>Damian inched closer to Dick and said, “At the very beginning, after Father…after we thought he had died, you told me you would always be there for me when I need you.  Well, I needed you, Dick.  I needed you like I’ve never needed you before, and you weren’t there for me.”</p>
<p>Dick’s heart hurt at hearing that.  He couldn’t stop himself anymore.  Dick reached out his arms to Damian, and was surprised when the teen leaned into him.  Dick wrapped his arms tightly around Damian and said softly, “I’m so sorry, brother.  I’m sorry I wasn’t here then.  But, I’m here now.  Tell me what I missed.  Tell me everything, and maybe I can help to relieve your pain.”</p>
<p>Damian shook his head against Dick’s chest, “No.  You go first.  Tell me why you had to stay away from me for so long.”</p>
<p>Dick inched over to press himself against Damian’s side, “How did we leave it when I left you at the airport?”</p>
<p>Damian wrapped an arm around Dick’s back and said, “Mr. Haly was in the hospital, still recovering from his heart attack.  You were trying to run the circus while figuring out transfer of ownership, so Mr. Haly could retire when he got out of the hospital.”</p>
<p>Dick nodded with a sigh and spoke softly, “Two days after you three went home, Pop had a second heart attack.  He was in a coma, and died three days later.”</p>
<p>Damian gasped as Dick’s tears fell on his head.  “No one told me.  I’m sorry, Dick.”</p>
<p>Dick pulled his brother in front of him to give him a full hug, knowing that no matter how mad at him Damian might be, he wouldn’t deny Dick the time to cry on his shoulder after the news that was just relayed.  The six-month-old death still hurt the older brother.</p>
<p>After a minute, Dick pulled back to look at his brother again, “Thanks, Little D.  It still hurts, thinking that he’s gone.  Pop Haly was always larger than life.  The circus felt…empty without him.  Um, when he died, we still hadn’t completed the transfer of ownership.  That all stopped when he died.  Even though I was named in Pop’s will as the person who would inherit the circus, the transfer of ownership had to be completed through the law firm that drafted the will.  That added almost two months to the process, and meant starting over from scratch.  Then, I had to train Steven in the day-to-day operation of the circus.”</p>
<p>Damian cocked his head, “Steven?”</p>
<p>Dick nodded, “Steven Anderson.  You met him.  He was part of the trapeze family, then became Pop’s assistant.  He got really close to Pop after I was gone.  He handled a lot of the day-to-day stuff already.  We just had to make it permanent.”</p>
<p>That surprised Damian, “Right, I remember him now.  So, you signed your circus over to him?  After all that?”</p>
<p>Dick shook his head, “No, I still own it.  I just made Steven a partner, to run it for me while I’m here.  Pop handled a lot of stuff that Steven didn’t know about.  I had to train him in all of that.  It took a while, but he can manage now, and I can be here now.  I’ll go back once or twice a year, just to check on things, but that will just be short visits.  I can take you, if you’re free when I go.”</p>
<p>“I’ll think about it,” Damian said, leaning into Dick’s side again.</p>
<p>They sat in silence for several minutes before Dick said, “Okay, that’s why I had to be gone.  Now, you tell me what I missed, and why you needed me here.”</p>
<p>Dick could feel Damian’s muscles tense, “There’s so much.  What do you want to hear?  What did the others already tell you?”</p>
<p>“I want to hear everything,” Dick said, “I barely heard anything, other than you had some tough times.  Start wherever you want.”</p>
<p>The pair was silent for a minute before Damian said softly, “Well, I guess I should start with the fact that Mother is gone.”</p>
<p>Dick glanced down and asked, “Gone as in…”</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “My team was assigned a test.  Tower defense at Mount Justice.  We were supposed to defend against a mock attack by League enemies.  Mother chose that time to come back and settle her score.  My team had to fight off Assassins, which they did incredibly.  I faced off with Mother.”</p>
<p>Damian turned to look up at Dick, and Dick was shocked at the fear held in the gaze, “Dick, she found Robin.  She had her full name.  She had her address in Alaska.  She knew which bedroom was hers.  Mother sent a team of Assassins to Alaska, to kill her and her parents.”</p>
<p>Damian sniffled, and Dick said, “Oh, D.  That’s terrible.”</p>
<p>Damian spoke in a quietly haunted voice, “I almost killed her, Dick.  It took just about my whole team to stop me.  I was raving, nearly psychotic.  I would have killed her without a second thought.  I had already decided, Mother was not going to survive the night.”</p>
<p>“Where was the League while all this was happening,” Dick asked.</p>
<p>Damian had to take a breath before he could say, “Mother’s Assassins sealed all of the manual entrances to the mountain, and she found a way to deactivate the Zeta Tube after my team beamed in.  They had to break into the mountain.  I begged Superman to go to Alaska, to see what Mother had done.”</p>
<p>“And,” Dick asked, on the proverbial edge of his seat.</p>
<p>Damian’s breath hitched roughly, “There were Assassins in Robin’s home.  Superman caught them in the hall, just outside of Robin’s bedroom.  She was asleep, six feet away from trained killers, who had her as their main target.  If Superman had been any later…I would have lost her, Dick.”</p>
<p>Damian found himself in a state of panic at the memory.  His breathing was shallow and irregular.  Fearing a full-blown panic attack, Dick held his brother until Damian could calm down.  After several minutes, Damian finally continued, “Father and Wonder Woman took Mother to an off-world prison.  I’m glad she’s gone, but…”</p>
<p>“But she’s still your Mother,” Dick said softly, “Believe me, I get it.”</p>
<p>Dick held Damian silently for ten full minutes before the teen had calmed enough to talk again.</p>
<p>“Tell me more, Damian.  Tell me something good that happened.”</p>
<p>Damian stared down at the bed and said, “Father and Miss Kyle started dating seriously.”</p>
<p>Dick smiled, amazed that would be the first thing that came to Damian’s mind when asked for good news, “What do you think about that?”</p>
<p>“I’m getting used to it,” Damian said with a shrug, “I…accept it.  Didn’t start out that way, though.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Dick asked with an arched eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Apparently, I’m very protective of Father.  I didn’t know her intentions at first.  It didn’t help that they tried to hide the relationship from me.  I, um, threw a bit of a tantrum when I found out.”</p>
<p>“What kind of tantrum,” Dick asked.</p>
<p>“I ran away from home,” Damian mumbled, a blush darkening his cheeks.  “I eluded Father for three days while I tried to figure out my feelings.  I couldn’t do it on my own, though.  Father helped me.”</p>
<p><em>No one told me about that,</em> Dick thought.  “But, you’re okay now?  You and Bruce, and you and Selina?”</p>
<p>Damian glanced up, “Father and I are fine.  I’m still getting to know Miss Kyle, but I like her much better than any of the other women Father has brought home in the past.  I’m not going to tell her that, though.”</p>
<p>“That’s good,” Dick said with a nod, “Keep going.  What else happened while I was gone?”</p>
<p>Damian thought for a second, “Um, I got to surprise Robin and take her to her Senior Prom.  She thought we had to choose between seeing each other for her Prom or her birthday.  She chose birthday.  Father let me go out for Prom and stay through her birthday.”</p>
<p>“Robin had to like that,” Dick said with a smile.</p>
<p>Damian nodded, “She did.  After the dance, though…”</p>
<p>Dick interrupted, “Damian, I know what happens after most Proms.  I don’t need to hear the intimate details, unless…you didn’t make a Prom baby, did you?  Wasn’t one pregnancy scare enough for you two?”</p>
<p>Damian rolled his eyes, “No, nothing like that, this time.  I’m talking about what happened…after.”</p>
<p>“I would hope it was a good night’s sleep,” Dick said.</p>
<p>Damian could barely force the words out, “Robin and I almost died that night.”</p>
<p>Dick started in shock, “What?”</p>
<p>Damian swallowed hard before speaking, “We didn’t like the plans her friends made for after the dance, so Robin and I went home.  Mr. and Mrs. Abbey were already asleep when we got there.  They weren’t expecting us to come home until the next day.  Robin and I spent the night in the guest room.  We knew we were going to be a little louder, and we didn’t want to wake her parents.  The guest room is right over the garage.  A fire started through a short in the fuse panel and burned straight up, almost directly under the bed.”</p>
<p>“But you got out, right,” Dick asked nervously.</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “We were asleep.  We woke up in the hospital five days later, after the fire fighters pulled us out.  They said they found us on the floor, looking like we were trying to get out of the room.  I…I don’t remember any of it.”</p>
<p>Damian could see the question Dick wanted to ask, but couldn’t put to voice.  Taking a deep breath, Damian turned away from Dick as he unbuttoned his pajama shirt and let it slip off his shoulders.  Dick gasped deeply as he saw the new scars and discolored flesh of his baby brother’s back.</p>
<p>Cool fingertips contacted Damian’s back as the boy said, “Second and third degree burns to forty percent of my body, and near-fatal levels of smoke inhalation.  The burns go all the way down to my knees.  That’s, um, three skin grafts you’re touching.  The Abbey’s lost their home.  They moved back to Gotham until the house could be rebuilt.  Robin and I both spent weeks in the hospital.  She…Robin missed her high school graduation, because she was in no condition to attend.”</p>
<p>Dick’s lips were quivering as he asked, “How bad were Robin’s injuries?”</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, liking the feeling of Dick’s hand on his back, “Her burns weren’t as bad.  She was, um, almost laying on top of me when we went to sleep.  That must be why her burns were only on her side.  Her burns are mostly on her left arm, leg, side and stomach.  She got a worse case of smoke inhalation than I did, though.”  Damian looked over his shoulder and smirked at Dick, “I think her burns are kinda sexy.  The fire left a very interesting pattern.”</p>
<p>“She’s not self-conscious about them,” Dick asked.</p>
<p>“She was,” Damian said, “But, they’re ours.  We survived, and now we can show just how hot our love is.”</p>
<p>Dick snorted and said, “Did you really just say that?”</p>
<p>Damian shrugged and turned back.  Leaning against Dick’s side again, Damian said, “Robin made it up, but it fits the situation.  Oh, we’re engaged now, too.”</p>
<p>Dick did a double take and just barely stopped himself from shouting, “What?  How is that possible?”</p>
<p>Damian looked up and smiled, “The law only says we can’t get <em>married</em> until we’re both eighteen.  It doesn’t say anything about engagements.  I proposed on her birthday, which was unfortunately spent in the hospital.”</p>
<p>Dick shook his head, “No one told me about this, any of it.”</p>
<p>“I’m not surprised,” Damian said, “They knew how mad I was at you then.  Do you know how much it hurts to get down on a knee with second-degree burns to your legs?”</p>
<p>Dick sighed and began lightly stroking Damian’s arm, “Tell me something else good, Brother.  That one wasn’t completely good.”</p>
<p>Damian laid his head back on Dick’s shoulder, “I did what you asked of me.  I looked out for Barbara, as much as I could.  We’ve become better friends.  You better not screw things up with her.”</p>
<p>Dick smiled, “She told me that you took her out to lunch once a week for the past six months.”</p>
<p>“Sometimes more than once a week.  She took a job in the University library.  I started taking on-campus classes, so I’ll see her there.”</p>
<p>Dick’s face lit up, “You went back to school?  That’s great!  You weren’t doing that when I left.”</p>
<p>Damian shrugged, “I took the spring and summer semesters off.  I did fall a year behind where I should be, though.”</p>
<p>Dick took a pleased breath as he snuggled back into his pillow, “Come on, one more good thing.  There has to be more.”</p>
<p>Damian closed his eyes and held on to Dick tighter, finally able to let go of the last six months of anger and hate he held for one of his favorite people on the planet.  “I lost two brothers this year.”</p>
<p>Dick stilled with a small gasp, “What?”</p>
<p>“Did they tell you about Jason’s accident,” Damian said softly.</p>
<p>Dick gave a small nod, “Yeah, but how is that good?”</p>
<p>Damian opened up one eye and glanced up, “The accident wasn’t good.  You leaving me wasn’t good.  What <em>is</em> good is that I got both brothers back.”</p>
<p>Dick gasped again and whispered, “Are we brothers again?”</p>
<p>Dick was surprised at the solitary tear that leaked from the corner of Damian’s eye.  “I’ve missed you so much, Dick,” Damian whispered.</p>
<p>Dick leaned down and kissed Damian’s forehead, “I love you, Little Brother.  Never forget that.”</p>
<p>“I love you, Big Brother.”</p>
<p>Dick pulled Damian into a tight hug and laid back on the bed.  Damian returned the hug tightly and gave a gentle sigh as he laid his head on Dick’s chest.</p>
<p>“You’ve grown so much while I was gone,” Dick said.  “I do have to confess, though.  Bruce and I were listening in on your channel tonight.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t really surprise me,” Damian murmured, close to falling asleep.</p>
<p>“You handle your team so well,” Dick said.  “You’re so caring and supportive with them.  Tonight, was the first time I’ve heard you interacting with your team in a leadership capacity.  You’ve come so far from that angry little boy that was dumped in Bruce’s lap.  You’ve grown so much.  I think you’re a little taller, too.”</p>
<p>Damian nodded gently, “I grew a couple inches over the last six months.  Enough to have to get all new pants, at least.  Unfortunately, Jon is growing, too.”</p>
<p>Dick smiled, “Why is that unfortunate?”</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “Because I’m three years older than him.  I’m supposed to be taller.”</p>
<p>Dick smirked, “Kryptonian genes will do that.  Bruce is two years older than Clark.  Look how much taller Clark is.”</p>
<p>Damian grimaced, “Leaders can’t be short.  They get compared to Napoleon when they’re short.”</p>
<p>Dick sighed happily, “You’re doing really well with your friends.  Do you see them a lot?  I mean, outside of training and League activities.”</p>
<p>“We try,” Damian said.</p>
<p>Dick was running a finger lightly up and down Damian’s arm as it laid across his stomach, trying to relax the boy enough to fall asleep.  “Who’s your best friend?”</p>
<p>Damian closed his eyes again, “Robin.  You know that.  I’m surprised you would even ask that.”</p>
<p>Dick rolled his eyes, “I meant your best friend that you aren’t sleeping with.”</p>
<p>Damian thought for a second, “That’s impossible to answer.  I sleep with all three of them.”</p>
<p>Dick started in shock, “What!?!”</p>
<p>Damian nodded, “You already know about Robin.  When Jon comes over, he sleeps with me.”</p>
<p>“I don’t believe it,” Dick said, still in shock.</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “Yeah, I know.  There’s nothing to be afraid of in the guest room, but no one seems to like staying in there.”</p>
<p>Dick released a relieved breath, “Oh, <em>sleep</em>.  Okay.  So, it isn’t, like, a relationship.”</p>
<p>Damian sighed, “Get your mind out of the gutter, Dick.  He’s twelve, and he’s my friend.  We did wake up cuddling once, after I had a nightmare, but that’s all that happened.”</p>
<p>“Please tell me there wasn’t an unsaid ‘yet’ in there,” Dick said.</p>
<p>Damian shook his head, “I think you’re familiar enough with my personal history to know I’m not attracted to men, or boys.  I don’t think I can even contemplate a same-sex relationship without massive flashbacks.  You know I’m only interested in Robin.  However, if I were interested, I could see myself being interested in Jon, but I’m not.”</p>
<p>Dick smirked, and a playful tone entered his voice, “So, you <em>are</em> attracted to Jon.”</p>
<p>Damian gave an exasperated grunt, “I’m an artist, Dick.  I can appreciate the beauty of an object, or a person, without an overwhelming urge to jump into their pants.  Besides, I’m not going to ruin a very worthwhile friendship for a few hours of carnal pleasure.”  Damian then looked up with a smirk and a wink, “It <em>is</em> fun to confuse him, though, and make him think I might try to make a move.  He falls for it every time.”</p>
<p>Dick laughed and patted the top of Damian’s head, “I love seeing you have fun, Little D.”</p>
<p>Damian snuggled into Dick’s side again and sighed as he closed his eyes again.  Dick resumed stroking Damian’s arm gently for a minute before asking, “I love that you recognize people as friends, and willingly call them friends.  Who is the third friend you mentioned?”</p>
<p>Damian sat up and looked solemnly into Dick’s eyes, “How do you not know the answer to that?”</p>
<p>When Dick didn’t answer, Damian reached out and placed a hand on Dick’s forearm, “It’s you.  It’s always been you.  That’s why it hurts me so much when we argue and fight.  You were my first friend, even before we were brothers.  You will be my last friend.  When I’m on my deathbed, decades from now, I will think of how much better my life was just for knowing you.  You’ve made all the difference in my life.  You changed me, and healed me, and as much as Robin is my best friend, there will always be a special place for you.”</p>
<p>Dick couldn’t speak.  He had a huge smile on his face, and a tear running down his cheek as Damian laid back down and snuggled tightly under Dick’s arm again.</p>
<p>Damian closed his eyes and murmured, “And yes, I’m sleeping with you tonight.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Epilogue…</em>
</p>
<p>Dick glanced up as his bedroom door was eased open an hour after Damian fell asleep.  Bruce walked silently into the room with a pleased smile on his face and sat down next to the bed.</p>
<p>“Well,” Bruce asked.</p>
<p>Dick tried to roll his eyes, but his smile wouldn’t let him.  “What does it look like,” Dick whispered.</p>
<p>Bruce released a breath, “I’m happy for you.  You two love each other too much to fight the way you did.  Who made the first move?”</p>
<p>Dick looked down at his sleeping brother, then back up at their father, “Jon and Jai, actually, while we were out playing mini golf.  It amazes me that D has opened up so much to his friends.”</p>
<p>Bruce nodded, “Those boys have been amazing for Damian.”</p>
<p>Bruce looked down at his still-shirtless youngest son and winced, “I hate seeing his burns and knowing that this is as healed as they are ever going to get.”</p>
<p>“He seems to accept them as just another part of him,” Dick said, his stomach flipping as he took another good look at the new scars.</p>
<p>“They just remind me of how much I can’t protect him,” Bruce sighed.  “He really does love you and trust you, you know.  The only other people he has willingly shown his scars to since the fire are Robin, Dr. Thompkins, Alfred, and me.”</p>
<p>Dick shook his head and looked up at Bruce, “Why didn’t you tell me about the fire, Bruce?  You called me when Jason was in the hospital, but not when Damian was just as close to dying?”</p>
<p>Bruce shook his head, “We were all wrecked over the fire.  A threat on patrol we can handle, but that fire?  Even if it was something we could fight on our own, we were four thousand miles away.  To lose him to something like an electrical fire?  I don’t think any of us could live with ourselves if they had died.”</p>
<p>“I missed out on so much,” Dick sighed.</p>
<p>Bruce looked down, “He had such a long rehab, and we were so busy at the time.  By the time things settled down, Damian seemed like he had forgotten about you.  If we’d told you what happened, you would have called or come home.  I couldn’t stand to see him hurting anymore.”</p>
<p>Dick looked down at his brother again, “And I would have been a source of pain for him.  You still could have called me.  Or, you could have called me when Talia tried to kill him and his team, and his girlfriend.”</p>
<p>Bruce sighed, “Mistakes were made all around over the last six months.  We can move past those now, though.  Are you two good now?”</p>
<p>Dick grew a smile, “We’re great now.”</p>
<p>Bruce stood up and kissed his oldest and youngest sons on the forehead, “I’m glad.  I’m glad you two could put your differences behind you.  This will probably be the best night’s sleep either of you have had in six months.”</p>
<p>Dick smiled as he snuggled down to cuddle with his brother.  Bruce covered the boys with a blanket and headed for the door.</p>
<p>“Good night, my sons.  Sweet dreams.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>A/N: Please note that this story was written in September of 2018, and is only being posted now because I try to post my stories in as close to chronological order, not completion order, as possible.  This story, and the depictions of rioting and looting and civil unrest, were written over a year and a half before our real life versions played out on our city streets.  This was actually the first story I completed of my 2019 stories.  Everything else has been filling in around this one as I write them.</strong>
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<p>
  <strong>This is probably the resolution everyone was expecting from The Torch part II.  This story was actually completed over a year before I even wrote the first line of The Torch.  I’ve been trying to keep everything in order.  Now, I can move on to other things.</strong>
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<p>
  <strong>I wanted the beginning of this story to feel like something drastically evil had happened before the reveal that I hadn’t just killed off my entire cast of characters.  You better bet that I was laughing my ass off when I wrote the line revealing that the boys were playing laser tag, not fighting a hopeless battle.  I hope you all got the same reaction out of it.  I’m sure you guessed by now, but Flyboy was Dick, Gunslinger was Jason, and Haxor was Tim.  I used to play laser tag with friends, from time to time, and the places I would go would have us come up with code names to enter into their system.  I don’t know why.  Those names just sounded to me like names our boys would come up with.  Putt Putt Paradise, in my mind, is the Gotham City equivalent to a place I used to go with friends in high school, Camelot Golf Land.  I have a lot of good memories of spending Friday nights there.</strong>
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<p>
  <strong>Next up is Not What it Seems.  That one is going to be divided up into three chapters, but I have no idea when chapter one will be up.  That story is going to be a long one.  It is currently sitting at almost 60,000 words, and I would be surprised if it is half way done.  Chapter one is taking longer than I thought it would to come together.  I know exactly where I want it to go, but the path to get there is turning out to be longer than I thought I would be.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I hope you found this one to be as enjoyable to read as I found it to be to write.  I really like this one.  I think it’s fun, with a hint of action, which makes it more fun.  Please, let me know if you liked this one, as well.</strong>
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<p>
  <strong>Thanks for playing along.</strong>
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